


A Third Of Love

by Lottery57



Category: Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Blood and Gore, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Cheating, First Dates, Fluff and Angst, Horny Teenagers, Multi, Polysexual Characters, Sexual Humor, Swearing, Teen Crush, Teen Romance, Violence, dramatic tension..., like kind of a lot as well, longfic, the narrator actually interacts and shit, yeah I like to make all the characters suffer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 94,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26620462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lottery57/pseuds/Lottery57
Summary: Lucas had always liked Ness... but, they were just best friends... right?Yet, when jealousy and love intertwine themselves in his mind, Lucas struggles to find a way forward.But what if Lucas could be a third of something greater?A Third... Of Love. (Ness/Paula + Ness/Lucas)
Relationships: Flint/Hinawa (Mother 3), Lucas (Mother 3)/Ness (Mother 2), Paula Jones/Lucas (Mother 3), Paula Jones/Ness
Comments: 23
Kudos: 21





	1. A Tale Of Misogyny

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [For the Power of Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17362535) by [RainyTazmily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainyTazmily/pseuds/RainyTazmily). 
  * Inspired by [Through Thick and Thin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15707208) by [RainyTazmily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainyTazmily/pseuds/RainyTazmily). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's try another experimental fic then, shall we — it’s just like Cycles!
> 
> And like with Cycles, I feel I give a special mention to the writer who was a great source of inspiration regarding this fic — RainyTazmily. 
> 
> This fic was inspired by both of their stories — Through Thick and Thin and For The Power Of Love, with the former inspiring the ships in this fic, and the latter inspiring the setting. Seriously, go and check out both of those fics — they are God Tier Mother Series stuff!
> 
> Anyway, so, this is a bit of an experiment on my part, however, I should say, this fic won't be a very serious one (at least, I don’t think) — as in, it's going to be very lighthearted and optimistic, so, not like Cycles.
> 
> Of course, I take writing it very seriously. That being said, I'm trying a different... style of writing for this one, shall we say? I've written this first chapter with a different... approach then I've done for... pretty much every other fic I've written, particularly Behind The Mask and Cycles.
> 
> The story takes place in Earthbound's universe — the Mother 1 and 3 characters just exist there, and none of the Mother Series games happened. All the Mother Series Protagonists are 16 in this story, except for Poo and Kumatora who are 18 and Duster who is 26. Enjoy!

Lucas had never known exactly what to feel. 

It sounds strange, doesn't it? But Lucas always had trouble knowing what to feel. 

When Pokey Minch slammed his head into a locker, Lucas didn't know whether to feel angry, and want to take revenge. Or should he 'forgive and forget' as his mother always said?

When kids always called him a crybaby, should he try to make them join him? Or should he just accept their words for the truth they were?

And when his best friend/secret crush walked home with him from school everyday, should he give in to his innermost desires, and drag Ness to his house so he could show him some... PK Love?

Or should he be ashamed of himself for thinking such thoughts about his best friend?

Oh, and there was also the _small_ issue of said best friend being _straight_. _And_ he already had a _girlfriend_.

Yes, needless to say, Lucas _never_ knew _what_ to think around his best friend.  
  


Whenever he opened his mouth to say anything, it always went the same way. He'd open his mouth, and... well... whenever Lucas tried to say... _that_ , to say how he _truly_ felt about his friend, his brain would simply melt like cheese, and he wouldn't have a word to say.

Then, he'd get home, take some cheese out of the fridge and mope around while Claus mocked him.

"Ah, here he comes, and ohhh, it's the cheese again... so, same result as last time then?"

"I will kick you _so_ hard, Claus."

And with that, Claus added another tally to a sheet of his.

"Damn, you're awfully moody today. Well, even _more_ so after one of your failed confessions to Ness. Which reminds me, how many are we on... 56? Well, 57's supposed to be a lucky number, right? Maybe next time you'll hit the jackpot."

"Claus, I have been at this for over a year! And I'm still nowhere closer to telling him than I was a year before! We're just... _best_ friends."

There was a tone of resignment and spite in Lucas's voice when he said best. 

"And you want something more. But bro, have you ever considered the small problem in all of this? And when I say small, I actually mean, 'something really, really big and you're a fucking idiot if you haven't thought about it.'"

At Lucas's confused look, Claus continues.

"Begins with a 'P', ends in an 'A'?"

It took Lucas a second before realisation flew into his eyes.

"Ahhhh..."

"Yes, Lucas, that's the _last_ letter — now, what's the _word_?"

"... Paula."

"Got there in the end. How _exactly_ do you intend to get around her? She and Ness are very happy together."

"Very?"

"Have you _seen_ them make out?"

"No..."

"Oh, so basically, Ness gently strokes the bottom of her neck, before his hand weaves its way around to her cheek. He gently caresses it, while Paula puts her arms around his waist. Then, they gently fall into each other's arms, lean together, before they finally —"

"Okay, okay, stop! Please stop! I, I don't need to hear anymore!"

Claus bursted out laughing at that.

"Haha, oh, oh my god, you actually, I can't... I can't believe that you actually believed that!"

"... what?"

"Lucas, I made all that up! And... you... you _actually_ believed all of that?"

"So... they _don't_ make out like that?"

"I don't know! How would _I_ know?"

"You could have fooled me —"

"I did."

"Okay, yes, you did! And I never knew you had such a _vivid_ imagination."

"Oh, don't you try and act all high and _mighty_ on me! Everyone, even Ness and Paula, think you're just this _sweet_ little ball of fluffy _goodness_ —"

"Are you saying I'm _not?"_

"Okay, yes, you are, BUT, what they _don't_ know is that you are also the biggest hidden _deviant_ in the world!"

"I am not!"

"Lucas, I've read parts of your diary."

"You've read a part of my diary?!"

" _Parts,_ Lucas. As in, _plural_. And they were quite the interesting read, quite interesting indeed..."

Lucas buried his face into his bed, before letting out a slightly muffled "... which parts..."

"See if this rings a bell."

Lucas through he heard some shuffling... shuffling of papers? He looked up, to see Claus holding a piece of paper... what was it for? He realised exactly _what_ it was for when Claus cleared his throat and started speaking in a high pitched voice.  
  


"Oh, Ness, you're _sooo_ handsome and you're _sooo_ brave! I just wanna —"  
  


"Nope, no, no, we're not doing this! Give me that!"  
  


Lucas dived, aiming to grab Claus, but unfortunately, his twin was a little quicker and simply jumped across to Lucas's bed, giggling like a maniac, before he continued to read in his over the top voice.

"I just wanna feel those _abs_ of yours and — AH!"  
  


Claus wasn't quite quick enough the second time though and before he knew it, Lucas was on top of him, desperately trying to reach for the paper which Claus was barely able to keep out of his reach.  
  


"That passage was _private_! And I do NOT sound like that!"

"You do."

"I don't!"

"You do!"

"I don't!"

"Okay, let's stop this. We're not getting anywhere by arguing like this."

"Okay."  
  


With that, the two got off each other and sat on Lucas's bed in silence, just thinking. Well, for a _minute_ anyway, before —  
  


"Give me that paper!" "Never!"  
  


And so it began again, with the psychic twins wrestling one another for this incredibly important piece of paper. Claus soon got the advantage due to being a _little_ bit stronger than Lucas, and soon Lucas was down on the ground.  
  


"Give it up, Lucas! You can't win!"

"Never! Give me the paper!”

“NEVER!”

"Then... you give me no choice."

"What? What are you doi — NO, DON'T YOU DAR — AHAHAHA!"

During Claus's moment of surprise, Lucas had taken the opportunity to exploited his greatest weakness — being tickled. He started with Claus's feet before working his way to his stomach, and then finally his arms. 

"OHHH, you... STOP THAT! This... this isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair! Now, give me the paper!"

"NEVER! I will, hahaha, die, no, no, no, NO, with it! How are you so good at this?!"

"I learned from you. You always tickle me in these spots, and even though you say you're not ticklish — by the way, how's that working out?"

While Claus tried to make some sort of coherent response, due to his continued laughing, he could only give out a stream of laughter with some random letters mixed in.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that. Thanks to you, I know exactly where _I'm_ ticklish. And even though you _say_ you're not ticklish, I guessed that since we're twins, we'd be ticklish in the exact same spots. Looks like I was right. Now, give me that!"

Claus's hand finally let go of the coveted piece of paper which Lucas immediately swiped and tore to shreds, before freeing Claus from his torture.

"Ohhh... well, no big loss. I've got more after all."

At this, Lucas's face became one of anxiety again.

"...what?"

"Yeah. I know you're the clever one here, Lucas, but blackmailing 101: always keep a copy of your blackmail! Hooray for Word!"

"No..."

"Indeed! So, Lucas, I'm gonna make you a deal. Either, you give up on Ness or, you keep going, BUT, if you keep going and you don't _spit it out_ before your... _60th_ try, I will show Ness, and Paula, _that_."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"Why are you doing this?!"

"Lucas, answer me this — where are you going with all of this? You know Ness is straight. You know that he has a girlfriend, who by the way, is pretty _hot_."

"Claus!"

"She is! Seriously, part of me still wonders how _Ness,_ of all people, scored _her_."

"You know it's more than just that! After all, they've been friends for a long time, and... ohhhh... oh my God... you're _still_ jealous of Ness, aren't you?"

"Nooo... no, I'm not..."

"You are! Are you _still_ hung up on what happened during that first month of school? Ah, I still remember it well...

"NO! We agreed that we would _never_ bring that up again! Stop it! No, no, no, Narrator, don't you _dare_ put a flashback here —

It was about two years ago, when Lucas and Claus had first entered high school, at the tender age of 14. They had just moved to Onett, from their home of Tazmily, and of course, they were _very_ unfamiliar with the place. 

Their first month of high school was one they'd never forget. 

For Lucas, he'd never forget it because it was during that time that Lucas had met his future best friend. On that first day, he met Ness, who had been kind enough to show him and Claus around, and was in many of Lucas's classes. 

The two had become close friends during that month, and Ness has introduced him to the rest of his friends, including Jeff and Poo, exchange students from Winters and Dalaam respectively. 

Ness and Lucas became very close. They were in most of the same classes, and they even lived near to each other, so they would always walk home together — Claus was always doing... something, and so he was either back before Lucas, or later.

Ness was very supportive of Lucas — he'd always struggled to stand up for himself, which made him a prime target for resident bully, and resident asshole, Pokey Minch.   
  


Ness was there for him, when Pokey mocked his family's lacking wealth, when Pokey shoved his head into lockers, when Pokey rounded up some others to mock Lucas's _sexuality..._ Ness was there. To shut Pokey up. To ask others why they thought Pokey was right. To make Lucas feel _better_.  
  


And Lucas was forever grateful for Ness for all that. That's probably why... why he feels this way _about_ Ness.  
  
  


But for Claus, things were very different. For Claus, he'd never forget this time, because it was during that first month that he was utterly _humiliated_.

You see, Claus... had always fancied himself something of a ladies' man —

"Wait, wait, wait, _'fancied'?!_ I _was_ a ladies' man!"

Claus, get the _fuck_ out of here, _I'm_ telling the story!   
  
  


Anyway, so as I was saying, before I was so _rudely_ interrupted, Claus had always _fancied_ himself something of a ladies' man.

And, to be _fair_ , he had a rather _lengthy_ list of girlfriends through middle school. In fact, until that first month, Claus had _never_ failed to get a girl to go out with him.

Key part being, _until that first month._

For it was during that first week that Claus met _Paula Polestar._

She was a childhood friend of Ness's, and she had decided to go to the same high school as Ness — the rather aptly named Onett High School.

The blonde psychic became well known throughout the school for running study sessions that were supposedly _so_ good, that she could make _anyone_ become better.

In fact, legend has it, that there was a boy in her History class who was one of the worst, and after studying with Paula, he became the _best_ in his class. 

And, seeing that Lucas is currently getting straight _A's_ in History, said legend may very well be _true._

But, somewhat sadly, Paula couldn't _quite_ escape for being more well known for her _other_ noticeable trait, her more _objectifying_ trait, if you will... or as _Claus_ once put it — the fact that Paula was really, really _fucking hot._

Yes, Paula was certainly _quite_ the head turner, and it was practically a given that whenever she was walking around the school, there would be _somebody_ looking at her.   
  


And, well, very few of those people would be actually be trying to look _up._  
  


Isn't that right, _Claus?_  
  


"Hey, come on, that was just cheap!"

Claus, I _swear_ to God, if you interrupt me _one_ more time, I will _kill_ you off.  
  


"You can't do that!"  
  


Bitch, do you know who I am?! I am the Narrator! Here, I am _God!_ I can do whatever the fuck I want, and you can't do _shit!_

_The Narrator tried PK Fire Omega!_ _Claus burst into flames!_

"WAI — ARRGHH! IT BURNS, IT BURNS!"

Do you see, Claus, this, this _power_ , this _unlimited_ _power_ , that I hold in my hands?! DO YOU?!

"OKAY, I GET IT! PLEASE STOP THIS!"

Fine.

_Claus's flames died out._

_"_ Ahhh... arghhhh... _Please_ don't kill me off! Or, at the very least, kill Lucas first!"  
  


I make _no_ promises.  
  


"WAIT, WHAT —"  
  
  


_Yes_ , well, as one can imagine, an incredibly hot girl + a school full of horny teenagers (both male _and_ female) all eager to _fuck_ her (*cough cough* _Claus *_ cough cough*), generally does _not_ turn out well.

On the bright side, it _does_ make for a rather simple maths question.

And for those of you wondering, the correct answer is 'a _lot_ of slapped faces'.  
  
  


Isn't that right, _Claus?_

...Good.

But at the time, Claus was not aware of his impending doom, nor had he overcome his hamartia, and so when he first laid eyes on Paula, the first thing he did... was to call dibs.

You see, the twins have an agreement that they won't try and both date the same girl — as it would obviously get rather confusing. If they see a girl they like, they can call dibs, and the other cannot attempt to date them _unless_ the other gives them _explicit_ permission to do so.

I should mention, that this 'dibs' system, was made during the beginning of middle school, before Lucas realised he was actually gay —

"Narrator, I'm really sorry to interrupt, but I'm actually _bisexual_."

Oh, really? Shit, my bad. Sorry, Lucas.

"WAIT, WHAT?! Why is it that when _he_ interrupts you, it's fine, but when _I_ interrupt you, I get set on _fire?!"_

Because he's _Lucas. No one_ can hate _Lucas_.

"Pokey."

Yeah, and no one likes _Pokey_ , do they?

"... Fair enough."

The dibs system was certainly a good idea in theory, though perhaps not the best in execution, if only because Lucas almost _never_   
called dibs on any girl, due to his shyness.

He did so for a girl in middle school called Nana, who he liked at the time, but she turned out to be a bit too chatty for Lucas. He kinda regretted that, since she was a nice girl, just not really the most suitable for _him_.

Paula was another case which showed that the flaws in the 'dibs' system, since Lucas would have _never_ claimed dibs on Paula.

This was in due to two factors — firstly, Lucas was initially _scared_ of her. Paula was quite the intimidating person, at first glance, being rather clever, popular and ' _drop dead gorgeous.'_

Again, _Claus's_ words.

Incidentally though, Lucas and Paula actually became _very_ good friends — when Ness introduced them to each other (and Lucas got over his initial fit of nervousness), they hit it off rather well ( _platonically_ , that is). In fact, Lucas even started to occasionally assist her in her study sessions — and he still does so to this day.

The other reason why Lucas would _never_ have called dibs on Paula, is that he had deduced at the time that Ness has a thing for Paula and so, he had no interest in Paula for _that_ reason.

Although, right now, Lucas _might_ just be _regretting_ that decision.

So, Lucas made a very good impression on Paula.  
  


As for Claus?  
  


Yeah... not so much. Claus, being... _Claus_ , immediately attempted to woo Paula, with some... cringe worthy 'compliments' before asking her out on a date.

And guess what? 

She _refused_. Damn, what a surprise — you know, it's _almost_ as if asking a girl out upon first seeing her is something that's bound to end in failure, because the girl _might_ not be comfortable with going out with someone that she _just_ met!

Nah, that can't _possibly_ be it, _right?_

Evidently, that was what Claus must have thought, because instead of doing the _smart_ thing and, you know, trying to get to _know_ her, he did the _dumb_ thing, and tried _again._

And again. And again. And _again_.

In fact, Claus asked Paula out _six_ times, each time with increasingly cringe worthy ' _compliments'._

For those of you wanting some free dating advice from an omnipotent deity, saying to someone _'aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living_?' will _not_ earn you a date. Neither will saying, _'are you a speeding ticket? Because you've got FINE written on you.'_

  
Or any _other_ of Claus's _inane_ pickup lines. 

In fact, doing so is a _prime_ way to have the girl in question do _exactly_ what Paula would end up doing to _Claus_ on his _seventh_ attempt. 

But for those first six attempts, she would politely decline Claus's attempts, though with less politeness and more irritation each subsequent time.

One day though, Claus finally pushed his luck too far, on attempt number 7. How ironic.

As always, he asked Paula out on a date. Usually, Paula would simply decline his offer and say she didn't really want to date anyone at the time — not wanting to hurt Claus's feelings.

But this time... something _snapped_ in her. A bad day for her, perhaps? In truth, no one can really be sure — not even _I_ know. What I _can_ say is that any explanation that involves a certain _cycle_ can be dismissed. Why? Because it's a _dumb_ explanation.

I can only guess that it was a pent up frustration, from all of Claus's attempts to ask her on a date, which culminated into this one moment.

You see, Paula _didn't_ say _no_ to Claus that time.

In fact, she didn't say _anything_ to him.  
  


Instead, she — and this is my favourite part of this story, _bitchslapped_ Claus _so_ hard, that she made him _cry._  
  


Yes, Paula Polestar had somehow done the impossible — she had managed to make Claus _cry,_ making her the first and _only_ person outside the twins' family to see him do so.

It also made her the first person that had ever _refused_ to date Claus.

"I remember wondering what was wrong with you, Claus. On that day. You looked... _shattered_."

"I was. Paula essentially... _destroyed_ my entire ideology. Cause, every other girl I've ever asked, they _all_ fell at my feet. And Paula... well, she _didn't._ I started wondering what was wrong with me. Had I... _lost_ my charm? Had I somehow become... well... _you?"_

_"_ Very good, Claus. But I was the only person to give you any sympathy, remember? Even though you really _didn't_ deserve it."

"Yeah... Mom, Dad... they both said that while Paula slapping me wasn't right, I _did_ deserve it. And... I couldn't figure out _why_. Now that I look back at things, it only proves to me how... _self centred_ I was. But at the time, I couldn't figure out why you all thought I... I had done something wrong."

"Until I told you."

"Yeah. And you did _not_ beat around the bush either. Narrator, if you wouldn't mind?"

As you wish, Claus.

It was about 6:00 in the evening and the twins were in their bedroom. Lucas was working on an essay for history while Claus was just lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, just thinking to himself in shock, occasionally moaning _"Why?"_

_"Whyyyyyy?!"_

_"Oh, for the love of... Claus, can you please shut up?! I'm trying to do this essay here, and you bemoaning your woes isn't helping here!"_

_"I... I just don't get it, Lucas. What... what did I do wrong?"_

_"Oh. My. God. I can't believe this. You know, at first, I thought it was just the initial hurt of it all. You know, you'd been well and truly rejected, slapped in the face and humiliated to top it all off."_

_"Yeah! You get it! That bi—_

_"Shut up. Shut the fuck up. It's not the initial shock, is it? Not anymore. You... you actually don't get it, do you? You're so goddamn self centred that you can't even take a goddamn hint!"_

_"What... what do you mean?"_

_"Claus... I want you to know that I'm trying very hard not to just bash your skull in in. So, please forgive me for what I'm going to do next."_  
  


And with that, Claus felt a great pain in his face. 

Lucas... had _punched_ him. 

And before Claus could say anything, he saw Lucas's _face_. It was contorted in emotions that he _barely_ held in, and Claus realised that for the very first time in his life... Lucas was _angry_.

No... It was... more than that. Lucas wasn't _angry._

He was _pissed._

_"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?! Why on Earth would you keep trying to ask Paula on a date when she very clearly said no the first time?! And when she said no, she didn't mean, 'keep asking me until I say yes', she meant 'no, I do not want to go on a date with you'! But you STILL kept asking her!"_

_"And not only could you NOT see that she_ **_wasn't_ ** _interested in you, not only could you NOT see that she was_ **_incredibly_ ** _stressed at the time from having_ **_so_ ** _many people to deal with in her study sessions and NOT only could you not see that you were just making her more and_ **_more_ ** _exhausted, you couldn't even see that she's very clearly interested in someone_ **_ELSE!"_ **

_"She... she is?"_

_"I... I... I can't believe it... you... you don't know. You really don't know, do you? It's **Ness**. Do you see the way her eyes light up whenever Ness is there? You don't... you don't, do you? Because, you're such a... self centred, _ **_FUCKING ASSHOLE!"_ **

_"And, and, and... you have, you have the AUDACITY to stand here and ask_ ** _"why?"_ ** _! Well, guess what, Claus? That's why. And I guarantee you that Mom and Dad will say the exact same thing._ **_I promise_** _."_

"I... I'm still sorry for that... it was... that was harsh of me."

"Lucas, are you kidding?! Fuck, that was... I, I _needed_ that! I needed someone to tell me that I was a fucking asshole, and you _did it_! You made me realise the kind of person I was, this, this, self centred person, who had never really thought about _any_ of the people I dated!"

"But still..."

"Nothing! But still, _nothing_! Lucas, thanks to you, I can actually have a conversation with a girl. A _proper_ conversation. I am a better person, because of what you said on that day! And you know... I really wish you could be more like _that_ sometimes."

"More like... that? But I was horrible to you!"

"Not horrible to _me_ necessarily, I mean more... _assertive_. I love you, because you care so much about people's feelings. But sometimes, you care _too_ much."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And sometimes, I wish that you were like you were on that day. Not afraid to stand up and tell people right to their faces exactly _what_ you think of them. Because, that day... Lucas, that day, I was _scared_ of you."

"What?! I didn't, I didn't want to... I should have —"

"Shut up. Just shut up. I _like_ that Lucas. I like the Lucas that isn't afraid to stand up for his friends when he felt they were being _hurt_. I liked the Lucas who wasn't afraid to _punch_ me in the _face_. I liked the Lucas who wasn't afraid to tell his own brother, that he was _wrong_. I just wish I saw that Lucas a little bit more often."

"Really? You really want me to be like _that_ more often?"

"Yeah. Cause I know, that if you mess with that Lucas... you get _fucked._ You will get fucked over _so_ hard that it's not even _funny_."

"Huh. And... you think... that's a _good_ thing?"

"In moderation and all. Cause, obviously, scary Lucas should be reserved for those who deserve it."

"So, maybe... maybe I should try then... to be more assertive."

"Yeah. You know... I think I get it now."

"Get what?"

"I know why I'm jealous of Ness. It's not because he's with Paula and I'm not — well, maybe there's a little envy there, but I _swear_ that's not the main part of it. It's the fact that... Ness really is good to her. I know now what you meant when you said that he makes her eyes light up. And, I wish... I wish that _I_ could do that for someone. I really do."

"I'm sure you will. I promise."

"Thanks. But hey, we've gotten very sidetracked, haven't we?"

Yeah... that would be my fault. Again, _my_ bad.

"Nah, it's cool, Narrator, thanks for taking us down memory lane. But either way, Lucas, I may be jealous of Ness... but I imagine you must be _really_ jealous of Paula! Especially since you helped her and Ness get together."

"I am... and I feel horrible for feeling this way! Because... I like Paula! I really do! She's one of the best friends I have at school, and... I just feel horrible for feeling this way about her. This... intense _jealousy_. As if... _she's_ the reason I can't be happy, when it's really _my_ fault."

"I... I really don't know what to say. Cause... you can't be with Ness as long as Paula is with him... but, what if she wasn't?"

"What?"

"We kill her. We grab her, and then we team up and kill her. It's perfect!"

"Claus. No."

"Aw, you're no fun! I just... I just wish I could do something for you, because... you helped me in the romance department."

"Really? But you haven't asked anyone out in the last two years, ever since Paula rejected you. In fact, you've even turned down some dates!"

"Yeah. And I'm happy, Lucas. I'm still happy. That's all you. That's because of _you_. And I wish I could return the favour. Somehow."

"Do you think... it'll ever go away?"

"I... I hope so. But... I can't lie to you... it may not. I can't say if the same rules apply to boys, but I don't think you ever truly move on from something you can't get."

"What do you mean?"

"There's... there's still a part of me that does want Paula. Even though I accept that I do not deserve her at _all_. Even though I accept, and am _glad,_ that she's very happy now. Even though I accept that she and Ness make a nice couple... crap, that probably isn't what you want to hear right about now..."

"Nonono, it's fine! I get what you mean."

"But... I... I still think, things are gonna go well for you."

"Really?"

"Really. I promise."

The two stood in silence in the room for a minute before Lucas interjected.

"You know, the room's kind of a mess after our little fight. Maybe we should tidy it up — Mom does far too much work around the house anyway."

"You're right. Let's get to it."

It didn't take them long to do so, before they were left in a silence again. Until, they _both_ broke it.

"Sorry I read your diary."

"Sorry I punched you in the face."

The psychic twins embraced, and for that time, they were nothing but at peace.

Well, until _Claus_ broke the silence a minute later.

"Okay, this is getting kinda gay. Get off me." 

And with that, he pushed Lucas off him and onto the sunflower pattered bed.

"Awww! But I like hugs!"

"I know. You're very clingy. Not a good trait for a wife, you know."

"CLAUS! That's not funny!"

"It is! It really is! Oh, Lucas... you're gonna make someone out there _very_ happy one day."

"So will you, Claus. So will you."

"Boys! Dinner's ready! I made your favourite!"

"WOO! Omelets!"

"Race you downstairs!"

And as the psychic twins ran down the staircase, and sat down at the dinner table with their mom and dad, Lucas knew _exactly_ what to feel. 

Happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo... can you tell I have absolutely no clue where the plot is going? Okay, that's not entirely true — much like Cycles, this started out as an idea for a oneshot which became something bigger. And I think this may end up being longer than Cycles. Maybe. 
> 
> Again, I have no clue what I'm doing. When I wrote this, I was just like “Words, write the words.” Like a zombie. In fact, now that I read this, this chapter could actually be its own oneshot — as it was supposed to be.
> 
> And in this first chapter, I've already shattered the goddamn Fourth Wall. I hope you didn't like it — it costs far too much to repair.
> 
> Anyway, high school Nesscas fic — hardly original, I know (although it is about time that I finally get down to actually writing some Ness/Paula). However, I have my own little idea to play around regarding this, and if you know me well (or do some basic guesswork from the title and the ships), you might be able to figure out what the main twist/idea of this story is. 
> 
> I'm not sure when I'll update this. I want to obviously continue this, but unlike BTM, I have no clue where I'm going with the plot — for instance, I have everything planned out for BTM, including the ending. I'm just missing a few bits in the middle. 
> 
> Here, the only thing I have planned... is the ending. So expect updates for this one to be kinda infrequent. Again, my apologies. Either way, I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter, and I hope you stick around for the rest!


	2. A Tale Of Envy

When we last left our heroes... well, I _say_ heroes, but they haven't exactly gone on any sort of _grand_ adventure or anything.

But, when we last left the twins, they... well, actually, they did _fuck_ all, except for reminiscing about the past, and Lucas going on about his numerous failed attempts to confess his love to Ness.

Don't you just _love_ exposition?

What? Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be telling a story, aren't I?

It was a Friday today, the favourite day of _every_ person who goes to school, because the weekend was soon to follow.

And the twins were no exception to this rule either — Claus in particular was looking forward to the weekend because he could take the opportunity to practice his guitar.

For that reason, Lucas was looking forward to the weekend less — one thing Claus had no concept of (in _addition_ to romance) was the idea of being _quiet_.

Needless to say, it was very difficult for Lucas to do anything in the house while Claus was in there.

But for now, the twins were of course doing their morning routine — you know, brushing, showering, having breakfast, which as you might imagine, were omelets.

Their mom and dad bid then goodbye, before they rushed off to school, like the adorable little children they were. Even though they were 16...

Meh, roll with it.

The two of them began their usual walk to school, down the streets of Onett and past the town hall. Sometimes during their walks, they'd meet Ness on the way, and he'd join alongside them.

Less occasionally, they'd also sometimes meet one of Claus's friends — a boy named Ninten.

Ninten was a lot like Claus — incredibly active, rather devious, and somewhat annoying at first. But the trait he shared most strongly with Claus would be the fact that most of the time, he was a fucking _idiot_.

And _yes_ , Claus, I _am_ obligated to throw some shade on you at least _once_ per chapter.

Anyway, Ninten was Claus's partner in crime, so to speak. If there was some mischief to be done, you could bet that Claus and Ninten would be the source of it.

But today, the twins didn't meet any of their friends, which just left the two of them walking to school by themselves.

"So, Lucas... got any plans for Ness then? Remember, you've only got 4 attempts left."

"Well... I'm not sure if I should try. Because, as you said, Ness is straight and all, plus, there's Paula. So maybe, I _should_ just give up."

"And you're _completely_ happy with that decision?"

"Yeah. I am. I'm completely happy with that —"

"Lucas, don't say things we _both_ know aren't true."

Lucas gave a rather heavy sigh at that.

"Ness... he haunts me, in a way."

"What, like a ghost?"

"No... well, actually, I _swear_ sometimes I hear someone moaning my name in the night..."

"Oh yeah, that would be me, I just like to do that to mess with you."

"Why... just... what? I, I can't even be bothered to ask why. Anyway, when I say Ness haunts me, I mean... he's in my _dreams_. I'll close my eyes, and I'll see him there with me in those sunflower fields we had back at Tazmily."

"Oh? And what are the two of you doing there?"

With a wistful look on his face, Lucas continues.

"We're... we're sitting there, in the flowers, and we're having this... this picnic, and I remember made some steak for Ness, cause it's his favourite and all."

"How thoughtful of you. You really will make an _excellent_ wife."

"Thank you...? So... Ness takes the steak, and he starts eating it. And he says that he _loves_ it! But... he tells me that it would taste even better... if I could _give_ it to him."

"Oh God, _where_ are you going with this?"

"So... I... I..." But Lucas isn't able to get out more than a few stutters.

"So... you... you?"

With a furious blush on his face, Lucas takes a deep breath.

"Okay, I start feeding him the steak, and then when he finishes, I, I pounce him and drag him all the way to the bottom of the hill, and then we lean and we kiss and —"

"Okay, that's _enough!_ I've read enough parts of your diary to know _exactly_ where this is heading, and I do _not_ wanna hear it again."

Lucas only blushed harder at that.

"Yes... well, most of those dreams end with me on top of Ness... before we... well..."

"Fuck each other's brains out?"

"I was going to say _'make love'."_

"Again, Lucas, I've _read_ your diary, and 'make love' does _not_ do it justice at _all_."

"I have _got_ to start hiding that in a different place."

"You know I'll still find it anyway. And while I'm at it, I've noticed that a lot of your fantasies seem to involve you on top for some reason."

"And?! What's wrong with that?!"

"Nothing wrong, per se... it's just I always imagined you'd be on the bottom. Like Ness's bitch, or something..."

"I would _not!"_

"Nah, you would. You totally would. Narrator, back me up here."

Well.... yeah, sorry, Lucas, I'm gonna have to side with Claus on this one... as much as I _hate_ to say that.

"I hate you _both_."

"Yes, yes, we know, but that doesn't change the fact that, for once, I'm right, and you're wrong. And isn't that _all_ that matters?"

Before Lucas could open his mouth to speak, Claus interrupted him.

"It is! It is, it is, it _is!_ But, you can't just give up on Ness so easily!"

"Well, you said it yourself — I don't know if Ness even _likes_ me that way! In fact, he doesn't — after all, he's with Paula, and I _know_ Ness, he's too good of a person to be unfaithful to her in any way!"

"There's a flaw in your theory. You assumed that Ness doesn't have any thoughts about you, but you don't actually _know_ that. Who knows, maybe on the inside, Ness is a repressed homosexual, and he stays with Paula to maintain the _guise_ of a person with a relationship that is sadly more accepted by society."

"Assuming that's _true_ , then why wouldn't Ness just break up with Paula? Save her, and himself the hassle?"

"Lucas, have you _ever_ broken up with someone?"

"Yes."

"Wait, what?! Oh yeah, Nana, I forgot about her. Remind me, how did breaking up with her go?"

"She... she took it rather well actually."

"She is an anomaly! I can guarantee that in 99% of cases, breaking up with a girl can _only_ end in tears for her!"

"Or... perhaps, you're just really _bad_ at breaking up with girls."

"Perhaps, but even you must admit that my experience must mean something."

"Oh, it means _something_ all right. I'm just not exactly sure _what_."

"Lucas, Ness _cares_ for Paula. And I don't mean just romantically, no, I mean as a _person_. Do you think _Ness_ , of all people, would be willing to make her unhappy? No, he would rather stick with her, _even_ if he's not happy, because he cares _that_ much."

"Wow... Claus, I never would have expected something like that from you..."

"I have my moments. And really, it's all thanks to you and Paula."

"But... I don't know what Ness feels."

"Then find out."

"You say that as if it's simple. I can't just walk up him and say 'hey, Ness, are you _completely_ 100% happy with your relationship with Paula, or would you consider going out with other blonde people, who may or may _not_ be _female_ , oh and also, I have dreams about feeding you steak, would you like to make them reality?', can I?!"

"You could, if you didn't _want_ to be subtle, but I'm guessing you _do_ , so _don't_ do that. Just... see if how he reacts to you. Try and... get close to him, see if he's any different. See how he returns a hug. Flirt a little?"

"... _what?"_

"I don't know — you're the empath here! And besides, you're asking a straight man for dating advice, so that makes _you_ the dumb one!"

Eh... debatable.

"Okay, fine, perhaps you do have an idea there. I could also see how Paula's finding things."

"Ah, getting the other side of the relationship, clever, very clever... and if you think there's enough friction between the two, are you gonna try pursuing Ness then?"

"I... I think so. But... I'd still have to 'deal' with Paula somehow."

"Hm... how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"I don't know... I really don't know. But as long as Paula's there... she's like the hypotenuse in this triangle."

"Not _quite_ how I'd describe it, but, yeah. You're gonna have to think about that at some point. But for now, see what Ness makes of you."

And so Claus and Lucas continued their way to school, before they finally reached there.

Onett High was the typical high school — well, I _say_ typical, but I can't say if that is true, given that this is the first high school I've ever seen in Eagleland, since I used to live in Foggyland myself before becoming an omnipresent deity.

But basically, it was a fairly modern place, that was relatively large, and certainly the biggest high school in all of Onett. The teachers were apparently all well educated and the school got some of the best results in the country.

All in all, certainly a good school to go to, and yet not an overly prestigious one either, which I must say, I quite admire — Foggyland teachers are _notoriously_ strict and uptight.

When the two entered, they were greeted by none other than Ninten.

"CLAUS! You idiot, you're _late!"_

"What?! I'm on time for class... for _once_..."

"Not that! I mean for..."

Ninten abruptly stopped speaking upon seeing Lucas.

"... the thing, Claus. You know? The _thing_?

"OH! The thing!"

"What thing are you two on about?"

"Sorry, Lucas, it's a secret to _everyone_."

"But we can say this — stay _away_ from the janitor's closet at the end of school. Alright, Ninten, we gotta get moving!"

"Claus, wait —"

But before Lucas could finish his sentence, Ninten and his brother had run off.

  
  


_"What on Earth are those two up to? Probably nothing good... I'll think I'll take Claus's advice and stay far away from that janitor's closet..."_

With that in mind, Lucas headed off to his first lesson of the day — Physics.

When Lucas arrived at the lab they were in, he took his usual seat, next to Ness and Jeff.

"Lucas! How are you today?"

"Good, Jeff, good. It's a Friday and all, so soon it'll be the weekend and all!"

"Yeah, looking forward to it?"

"Well... I haven't really gotten any plans, and Claus will be playing his guitar all day long, so I can't stay in the house and all. But what about you?"

"I'm helping out this weekend with the science fair."

"Really? Well, they couldn't have chosen anyone better!"

"Thanks. I'm a little nervous, cause I have to give a bit of a speech."

"I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"Yeah... thanks."

It's here when Lucas noticed that his other friend, had been rather quiet this entire time.

"Ness? Is there something wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not at all. In fact, I just wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh? Well... what is it?"

Ness gently took one of Lucas's hands, his hands feel incredibly firm, and yet equally soft. He went just a little bit closer to Lucas. His eyes seemed to go a deeper, more rich purple, and his handsome features became all the clear on his face.

Lucas's heart started to race.

"Lucas... I wanted to ask you..."

  
  


_"What is he... is he going to... does... does Ness feel the same way... about me?"_

"I... I wanted to ask..."

_“Yes, yes, keep going..."_

"Oh god... why is this so hard? I... I can't do this... I can't do it."

_"NOOO!"_

"Ness... you know you can ask me anything... and I'll still think the same about you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Okay... yeah... I can do this. Lucas... I wanted to ask you..."

_“Yes... he's going to say it!"_

Ness leaned a little.

  
  


_"Go on... please don't stop now..."_

"How you _doin_ '?"

For a moment, Lucas didn't quite understand what Ness just said. His brain seemed to be frozen, and needed time to catch up.

And then, it caught up.

Ness asked him... how he was... _doing_?

"Ness... you are _terrible_ at that!"

  
  


"Aw, I thought it was actually good this time! You were frozen for like, _ten_ seconds!"

_"Yeah, for **other** reasons..."_

"Ness... you're still a long way of being Joey."

"Damn it! Everyone's a critic! Mom, Tracy, Jeff, and now you as well?! Well, at least Paula likes it."

_"Yeah, I'm sure she does..."_

But Lucas had little time left to dwell on Paula, as their teacher, Mr Apples, entered.

Sounds rather dumb, but yes, _that's_ what he was called. Mr Apples was a 22 year old teacher, who was somewhat rotund and was rather fond of red clothing, making him resemble his fruity namesake.

"Alright class... so today, ah, we will, um, be continuing our studies on electromagnetism, so, er... please get your, ah, books out."

And so the class opened said books, and began their lesson. Now, here would be the part where I describe the lesson. However, I fucking _hate_ electromagnetism, having studied it myself (it's the goddamn solenoids — they keep throwing me _off!_ ), and I _refuse_ to _subject_ (come on, that was clever!) anyone else to it!

So, let's have a look at what's going on at a different part of the school, over at the Music area.

"Does anyone know where Claus and Ninten are? Ana, have you seen them?"

"No, I haven't, Mrs Visara."

"Strange... they're both usually on time for Music..."

Indeed, they _usually_ were — but today, the gruesome twosome were on the _other_ side of the school.

"So, how long do we have again, Ninten?"

"Everyone's got lessons now, so we should have... an hour and a half?"

"Should be enough time then."

"Yeah. So which balls do we start with?"

"We start with the biggest ones. So... that would be the basketballs. Grab them all!"

You see, Claus and Ninten had skived off their music lesson, and gone to the gym.

Why? A very good question, indeed — the answer is that they're _morons_. Some more free advice — _don't_ skip class.

But a more useful answer would be because it's for one of their _pranks_.

Yes, Claus and Ninten were rather fond of setting pranks around school — no one will easily forget the legendary _'ice rink'_ incident— named such owing to what Ninten and Claus ended up making the place like.

Ninten and Claus stole two floor polishers and decided to go all around the first floor with them... _ten_ times. _Each_.

The result? An entire _school_ that was sent slip sliding away all day long.

It became practically impossible for most people to get anyway safely, lest they fall and break their pelvis, as Pokey Minch found out, when Claus _'accidentally'_ bumped into him.

Despite suffering a broken arm from the collision himself, Claus couldn't be happier to get his revenge for Pokey had taken it upon himself to beat the everliving _shit_ out of Lucas one day.

And hey, at least Lucas got to have a nice time — moving around was just like ice skating for him. Indeed, he certainly enjoyed leading Ness hand in hand to their next lesson quite a bit — perhaps a little _more_ than he's willing to admit.

Yes, the dastardly duo were certainly capable of some... _interesting_ pranks — but today, they would be doing something much different and much more simple.

The two started taking all the balls that they could fi — Claus, you dropped some balls behind you.

"What? Where? Wait a minute..."

Gotcha.

"Fuck you."

Given my current state, I don't think that's _possible_.

"Don't you have something better to do?"

Not really. But I suppose I will indulge your wishes, and spare you my chatter. As the two scurried off to make use of their balls, Ness, Lucas and Jeff had just finished their physics class.

"So, how did you find that lesson, Lucas?"

"Well, Ness... I didn't really get all of it. I think I might need to look over solenoids again..."

"Oh, well, solenoids are actually quite easy once you've gotten the grasp of them. You just have to remember the rules."

"That's the issue — I _don't_. Also, Jeff, you've read through that book like, _ten_ times, I haven't had the time to do that!"

"Well, perhaps we could go over it at lunch sometime?"

"Really? You'd be willing to do that?"

"Of course. After all, the best way to make sure you understand something is to teach it to someone else. Would you care to join us, Ness?"

"I... I'll pass. I think I'll get left behind you two intellectuals."

"Oh, come on, Ness, it'll be fun!"

"I... I'm sorry, but I think I'll just slow you two down..."

At this, Lucas pouted as hard as he possibly could.

" _Pleaseee?_ For _me_ , Ness?"

"I... well.... fine, for _you_ then, Lucas..."

"Great. Well, does Monday work for you both?"

"Yep."

"Same here."

"I shall see you then. Goodbye, both of you."

And with that, Jeff left the two of them.

"So, I'll see you at lunch then. You've got History next, don't you?"

"Yeah... always a fun time..."

"Well, hope today's not any different for you, and say hi to Paula for me. Bye, Lucas!"

"... bye, Ness..."

As Ness walked away, Lucas turned and made for his History Class, with many thoughts plaguing his mind.

_"Yeah, don't worry, Ness... I'll make sure to say hi to Paula for you. I'll make sure to say that, and then more. I'll tell her how envious I am of her. I'll tell her how much I wish that when she's kissing you, I was there instead, kissing those gravy flavoured lips of yours! I'll tell her that she's the reason I'm not happy, and, and that, I just wanna..."_

Lucas immediately stopped in his tracks, a horrified expression slowly creeping on to his face.

"What... what am I..."

_"What am I doing?! I... I have all these terrible thoughts about Paula... and, and she hasn't even done anything wrong! She's my friend! She's one of my closest friends! And, and yet... I still can't shake off this, this hatred of her..."_

_"She's a good person! She's kind, she's sweet, she dedicated countless hours of time into helping others, and she's spent countless amounts of time helping me!"_

__

_"I'm terrible... for hating someone I owe so much to... but I'm so... jealous..."_

Lucas scoffed at himself.

"What was it Mom always said..."

_"Love everyone around you, Lucas. Everyone you see."_

_"Even the people who make me suffer?"_

_"Even the people who make you suffer."_

_"But... why? Why should I love them?"_

_"Because, Lucas... you might be the only person to love them. So if you don't love them... who else will?"_

"Love everyone around you, even those who make you suffer... I can't even love a person who's _never_ intentionally caused me to suffer..."

With these dreary thoughts floating in his mind, Lucas drifted into his History classroom.

He saw Paula — she took History as well, and was in the same class as him. She was sitting at her usual seat — on the right side of the classroom, which she strategically chose so she could get a good view of the board... _and_ so that she could get out of the room quickly when the class finished.

Hey, I can respect that, Paula — that is a _very_ important factor in choosing your seat.

Now, _normally_ , Lucas would take his usual seat, which would be the one right next to Paula, but given the _current_ circumstances, he felt it would be best not to, so he looked around for another seat close to the board, intending to sit there instead.

Unfortunately for him, Lucas never got that opportunity as Paula saw him and waved. He couldn't just ignore her _now_ — that would be impolite.

With great reluctance, Lucas resigned himself to his fate, and sat down next to her.

"Lucas! It's great to see you!"

"Same... how, how are you?"

"Good, yeah, good, how about yourself?"

"I'm, I'm fine."

And an awkward silence. Don't you just _hate_ those?

"So... you doing anything this weekend?"

"Not much... I was thinking about maybe going and picking some sunflowers... my mother really likes them, and I was thinking of making some sunflower crowns for her."

"Aw, that's so sweet! I don't know why I'm surprised though — you're _always_ doing sweet things like this for others!"

And at that, all of Lucas's lingering hatred and anxieties seemed to disappear, and he felt as if he could talk to Paula the way he normally could... as a _friend_.

"Thank you! So, how about you? Are you doing anything interesting?"

"Well, I'm going on a date with Ness this Saturday."

_Annnnd,_ the hatred and anxiety was _back_.

"Oh... I, I hope it goes well. I'm sure it will."

"Hm... Lucas... is something _wrong_?"

"What?! No! I'm, I'm fine!"

The stutter in his voice and the flushing of his face certainly said otherwise though.

"Lucas... you know you can talk to me about anything... and I'll still think the same about you. Is there anything wrong? Is it _Porky_? Oh, it _is_ , isn't it?! I _swear_ to God, I'm gonna have ask Ness for his bat so I can —"

"Paula! It's not... it's not Pokey, okay? He... he hasn't done anything to me... _yet_..."

Paula sighed, partly in relief and exhaustion.

"I'm sorry, Lucas... I'm just... I'm just so stressed... I'm not sure if these study sessions were a good idea... if they were _worth_ it."

"Paula, do you know how _many_ people you've helped? You've done so much, and I'm sure, I know that all of them really appreciate it. I mean, look at _me!_ Remember how we met?"

"Yeah... I do... I remember I was rather wary of you at the time. Since you were Claus's brother and all, and I... didn't exactly have the _best_ expectations..."

"I was rather nervous of you as well. You were pretty, intelligent and very tall... so rather intimating over all."

The last point deserves some clarification — at 14, Paula was 160 cm... oh wait, _Eagleland_... well, that would make her... _5'3"_ , making her taller than the 155 cm (or 5'1") Ness and the psychic twins at 152 cm (or exactly 5'0").

Certainly, she was rather tall for her age, who some (*cough cough* _Claus_ *cough cough*) only thought added to her beauty... or if in the case of Lucas, her _intimidation_.

Growth spurts had just about evened things out, but Paula still remained a little bit taller than Lucas and Claus.

"Oh, Lucas, you flatter me too much... I hope you don't see me as intimidating any more."

"Well... only a _little_."

She laughed at that.

"Well, don't worry, I'm _not_ gonna hurt you."

_"Oh... you might if you knew how I felt about your boyfriend... speaking of which..."_

"Well, that's nice to hear. Oh, and by the way, Ness wanted me to ask you... how you _doin_ '?"

Paula giggled at that.

"Oh my God... you're _just_ as bad as Ness is!"

"Yeah, but at least I _know_ that! But you apparently, you don't."

Paula narrowed her eyes at that. "What do you mean?"

"Ness says you love that."

Paula's face went a bright pink, resembling the colour of her dress.

"Ah... can you keep this a secret? I... I find it a little bit cute, but in truth... I'm not really a fan of it. But... I haven't told Ness because he becomes so happy when I laugh."

"Why aren't you a fan of it?"

"It... it reminds me of some... _bad_ dates I've had and... I dunno, it's just Ness is _different_ from that. He's _my_ goofy mess and it just feels _wrong_ to hear him say that. But again, he gets really happy..."

"If it's that bad to you, you should _tell_ him."

"But..."

"I know, I know, his feelings. But... if you explain it the same way you did to me just now... I'm _sure_ he'll understand."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Lucas... you are such a great friend... what did I do to deserve you?"

"Well... for a start, you made me decent at History."

"Decent?! Lucas, you are the _best_ in History here!"

"Well... I'm not as good as you —"

"In what year was the first Dalaamese king crowned?"

With no hesitation, Lucas replied "1492".

"See? I didn't know that. You're better than me."

"Yeah, but I never would have gotten this good if it weren't for you!"

"Lucas, all I did was give you a _push_. You were the one that maintained all the momentum. That's all _you_."

Unfortunately, their conversation was cut short by the fact that their teacher soon entered the room — a man named Mr Visara.

Mr Visara was a man in his 30's, that beared a number of similarities to _Paula_ of all people. Both were rather tall for their age, considered to be attractive for their respective genders, and seemed intimidating at first glance, and yet he was not nearly as scary as he would seem.

In fact, Mr Visara was actually quite lax with his students, enough so that so that in a good day, he'd allow them to call him by his first name, George.

His lax nature didn't stop him from being an effective teacher though, and for that, he was one of the most popular teachers in the school, along with his wife, Maria, who taught happened to teach Music. They were very happy together, perhaps even more so than before.

"Alright, class, settle down. We're going to be revising one of the greatest mysteries of all time. The legend of the Seven Magypsies.

Wait, _what?!_ The _Magypsies?!_ I... how... I remember studying them in school myself, before I became... well, _this_.

And I know the legend all too well myself.

"So class, to give a brief summary, the legend speaks of an island in the middle of nowhere, away from all of civilisation, that is the most peaceful spot on this planet, called the Nowhere Islands. The Nowhere Islands..."

...are a place no man has ever _seen_ , an island that no man can ever _touch_.And on that island, lies seven guardians. Seven people, that are neither human nor beast...

"... nor man nor women..."

And no one knows how old they are. They're all very strange, all of them. But, they _ARE_ good natured. And they're known as...

"The Magypsies. But, of course, like the existence of God, we have no true way of determining whether or not this legend is actually true or not. All we have, is the evidence before us."

No one knows if the legend is true or not... huh...

You may be wondering then... do _I_ know? And... I _do_.

So, is it true?

The answer's yes... _and no_.

The rest of the lesson was carried out mostly in debates and discussions, where the students would look at the different pieces of evidence regarding the Magypsies, and make arguments as to whether they actually exist or not.

Lucas and Paula got into _quite_ the heated debate, with Lucas on the side of them existing, and Paula on the side of them just being a myth.

After the lesson was finished, the two of them left, talking along the way.

"So, care to get some lunch, Paula?"

Paula's expression fell upon hearing that.

"I... I'm actually doing a study session today in the library for History, so I can't..."

"Oh... well, why don't I come with you? I'm not doing anything this lunch anyway and I'm sure you could use the help! History's one of the few things I can actually teach as well!"

"Really? I mean, that would be wonderful, but you know you don't have to —"

"I know I don't have to. But I _want_ to."

"Lucas... thank you so much."

So, the two of them made their way to the library and after... signing in (why?) they quickly got the appropriate books and put some tables together.

"So... how many people are coming today?"

"About eight or so — I hope that's alright... I know you get nervous with lots of people."

"I... I think I'll be okay."

Paula smiled at him.

"You're gonna do fine."

Soon enough, people started to enter... Lucas recognised one of them — a girl called Ana. She was in his year, though not in many of his classes, and from what he knew, she was quite religious. He also knew from what Claus had told him that Ninten had a crush on her, though he'd never mustered up the courage to ask her out.

Lucas didn't recognise anyone else — though he did take notice of a rather masculine looking girl, who certainly intimidated him, although intimidating him wasn't exactly the _hardest_ task to accomplish.

She stood out particularly for her bright pink hair. Lucas wondered if it was dyed, but he'd never seen this colour of hair before.

"Okay everyone, so... uh, thank you for coming here today. If this is your first time here, then I'm Paula, glad to meet you all, and this is Lucas — he's a good friend of mine, and an _excellent_ History student! I daresay he's the _best_ in my year."

There were some murmurs around the room, some of disbelief, others in awe.

"So, we're gonna be doing some History today and of course, it's important that we're all very clear on all the details, because of the exams coming up. So I thought we'd start off with the Dalaamese, and we'll all go around and say things that we know."

And so that's essentially how they all spent their time. They'd all share the various things they knew, and soon they moved on to different things — such as the pyramids of Scaraba, the hidden Lost Underworld and of course, the Magypsies.

Lucas noticed that the pink haired girl seemed to know a lot about that last one in particular. She didn't seem like the studious type and yet you could be forgiven she was an _expert_ on this particular subject. How peculiar.

Either way, after about half an hour, the session came to a close, everyone's brains feeling infinitely larger. Everyone made to leave, except for Ana, who stayed behind to thank Paula, and also to speak to Lucas.

"Lucas... um... is your _brother_ alright?"

"What? Yeah, he is... why d'ya ask?"

"Oh, it's just he wasn't here in Music or Biology, so I was wondering if he was fine and all. Neither was Ninten. But, I'm glad to hear that he's okay. I'll see you both next week!"

But Lucas wasn't really listening to her anymore. He was deep in thought over this mystery.

_"Claus wasn't in her lessons?! Why? Where could he have gone? Is he alright?!"_

"Lucas, are you alright? You're clutching that desk pretty hard."

Indeed, he was, and he hadn't even noticed it.

"Well... no. Claus didn't show up to either of his lessons in the morning, and neither did Ninten. But, I saw them _both_ in the morning..."

"You don't think... they went missing?"

"It's possible, isn't it... _wait_ a minute..."

_"... the thing, Claus. You know? The thing?"_

"I think I know what's going on... they're not missing... they've just skipped their lessons for another one of their _pranks!_ Will those two _ever_ learn?

"Probably not. But, at least they're probably safe. Though, I'm not sure if I can say the same about the _rest_ of us..."

"Yeah, and that might just be the _bigger_ issue. Still, what's done is done and all... let's just tidy up here."

The two of them started moved the desks back to their normal spots as well as the books, making conversation while doing so.

"So, Lucas... I saw you looking at a certain pink haired girl a lot today... interested?"

Lucas started to blush at that.

"What?! Oh... uh... no... she's not really my type... she looks rather scary, but I did find her pink hair rather interesting."

"She gets that quite a lot. Her name's Kumatora — she's actually two years above us, but she still attends these revision sessions because she finds them useful. You know, you two would make a cute couple."

"I... I, can't help but disagree."

Paula laughed at his reaction.

"Oh, Lucas, I'm just teasing you! Anyway, she's a lesbian so you don't _quite_ fit the bill."

"Really? So how did you two meet then?"

"Well, she actually tried to ask me out on a date, but I declined, cause straight and all. She turned out to be really chill about the whole thing though, and yeah, we kinda just kept in contact and all. I told her about these sessions and she asked if she could join, and I was _more_ than happy to welcome her."

"She sounds pretty cool. Plus, to have the guts to ask you on a date..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I would have never asked you out on a date... well, _mostly_ because I knew Ness liked you... _and_ because of our dumb 'dibs' system... but I didn't think you would accept... cause why _would_ you?"

Paula gave a particularly heavy sigh upon hearing this.

"Lucas, you have _got_ to be more confident about yourself! How on Earth do you plan to get yourself a partner like this?"

Lucas's expression immediately darkened and at upon seeing it, Paula knew that she'd crossed a line.

"Lucas... I'm... I'm sorry, that was cruel of me. And... I think I know what's wrong with you."

"You... you do?"

"Yeah... and I think it's actually _my_ fault."

_"Oh no... is she... is she onto me?!"_

"You... you want... no, you _need_ someone, don't you? And I think you've been feeling this a way for a long time, haven't you?"

_"Oh God... she knows... she knows!"_

"All this time, you've had to watch Ness and me being all... ' _lovey dovey'_... but all this time, you don't have anyone yourself... and it's been quite insensitive of us. I just want you to know that if you ever want someone to be with, I'm there to _help_ you!"

"But... how? I'm such a, a nervous wreck! And... no one really likes me in that way."

"No one likes you in that way... Lucas, are you _kidding_ me?! I've had girls come up and _tell_ me that they're interested in you!"

Now that was a shock to Lucas. Of course, he'd knew about _Claus_ having girls interested, but to hear that girls were actually interested in _him?_ That was _completely_ new to Lucas.

"I... really?"

" _Really_. Girls _like_ you, Lucas. They _want_ you. You just need a little bit more confidence. And once you have that... you know... why don't I set you up on a date with someone?"

"You'd... you'd do that?"

"Of course! I owe you so much. You know, Ness told me that you were the reason that he finally got the guts to ask me out on a date, and do you know how _grateful_ I am to you for that? _And_ there's all the times you've helped me with these study sessions."

"Well, it was no big issue... it was just the right thing to do."

"Well, doing the right thing is something that's rather rare nowadays. You deserve someone in your life, Lucas, you really do! And I don't know where you've gotten this idea that you _don't_ , because you are the person that people _dream_ of having!"

"You... really think that's true? That... I'm like that?"

"If you want, I'll prove it to you. I'm gonna make it my mission to find someone for you."

"Well... you see, I'm not really interested in _girls_ at the moment."

Paula facepalmed at this.

"Oh... I'm _such_ an idiot! How _could_ I forget?! Well... I don't any boys that are interested in you... but you know what, I'll still do my best to find one!"

"Paula. It's... it's fine, okay?"

"But —"

"Seriously, it's _fine_. Look, to be honest... you're _right_. I _am_ jealous of you two, and I _do_ wish I had someone like that in my life. But... I don't think you'll be able to help me with this..."

_"Because the one person I want, is the only person I can't have... it's your boyfriend..."_

"But still... I appreciate it and I promise that if I need help finding someone, you'll be the first person I ask."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Paula sighed and sat down.

"I'm... it just really makes me sad that you don't have anyone. And I guess I just wanna help."

"And I'm grateful for that. But... I'm _not_ alone. I have my family. And I have my friends. I'm happy."

"That's... that's nice to hear. You know, we've been sitting here far too long. Why don't we get some lunch?"

"Sure... but wouldn't you rather be with Ness?"

"Ness has some baseball practice today, remember? He's not gonna be free for lunch at all."

She put her hands on her hips and looked at Lucas with mock anger on her face.

"You're not _that_ eager to be rid of me, _are you?"_

"Of... of course not!"

"Okay then, let's go!"

And so the two made their way to the cafeteria, with a number of thoughts swirling in Lucas'shead.

He... he couldn't do this... could he?

Paula was his _friend_. His _good_ friend. And in return, Lucas would try to take her boyfriend.

Repaying her kindness with an endless _void_ of sadness.

He really was a horrible person, wasn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m impressed with myself. I keep managing to make longer and longer notes. Have fun!
> 
> This was very long — and you know what? It could have been longer. This chapter and the next were supposed to be one... which would have shot the word count to 11,000... and that chapter isn't finished yet! These chapters will be of a similar length to Behind The Mask... well, they should be anyway.
> 
> Anyway, a 'little' taste of school — and you would not believe how much research I had to do into the American school system for this fic, because, well, I live in the UK, but Eagleland is Earthbound's equivalent to America.
> 
> (My thanks go to singing_to_empty_caves on that one, who clarified a few things for me — thank you so much! If you’re a Mother fan (which I imagine you are, seeing as you are reading this), I highly recommend reading their fanfic on Mother 1 on AO3 which I shall link here: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1524248)
> 
> So that was fun. No, really, it actually was kinda fun... a little sad, I know...
> 
> I still probably screwed up something, so, my apologies if I have gotten something wrong.
> 
> This chapter is very much an... interesting combination of ideas. A lot of the stuff in this chapter can essentially be boiled to ‘I’m not sure why I put this in, but I liked it, so I did.’ — particular evident in my decision to throw in a reference to Friends of all things. 
> 
> I suppose I'll explain some of my choices for characters then. George and Maria are History and Music teachers respectively. I think this makes sense since History encompasses the various pieces of lore of the Mother Series, which fits for George. On that note, I haven't changed everything from canon — the Magypsies, or at least their legend, is very much the same as in canon.
> 
> Maria is a Music teacher, since 8 Melodies, and I think the job fits her. Their last name of Visara... is completely random. Literally, I just put some letters together, and bam! It has no meaning whatsoever.
> 
> Mr Apples is an aged up Apple Kid, and his scientific nature makes him a suitable choice for physics teachers — I didn't use Dr Andonuts since Jeff is an exchange student from Winters and that's where both of the Andonuts' live. 
> 
> As for Kumatora, I know a lot of people interpret her as being a lesbian and you know what? I kinda like the idea. 
> 
> And finally, to wrap up this incredibly long note, I just wanted to mention that my favourite part of writing this chapter was writing the interactions between Lucas and Paula — there's just something really sweet and endearing about it!


	3. A Tale Of Closets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, time for special warnings.
> 
> This chapter has some violence in it — nothing too graphic, but worth mentioning.
> 
> It also has some themes that some people may be uncomfortable with — specifically regarding one character has has themes with a sexual predator and also mocks various characters’ sexualities.
> 
> I do not condone such actions, neither in this fic, nor in real life. If this offends you, then I sincerely apologise. 
> 
> Btw, direct continuation off the last chapter. Enjoy!

Greetings, lesser beings, it's _very_ nice to see you all again.

And thank you, that's _so_ nice to hear. That was me assuming the compliment was returned.

It _wasn't?_ Rude.

Alright, fine. So, last time, Lucas had a typical morning at school combined with attempting to gauge the strength of Ness and Paula's relationship, the answer to which is, sadly for him, _'pretty darn strong'._

Meanwhile, Claus and Ninten skived off their lessons, setting up an elaborate prank... what could it possibly be?

And when we last off, Lucas and Paula had just finished a study session and were now off to the best part of the school day — _lunch_.

Yeah. That... that's _it_. That's _all_ that happened.

Fuck, recapping stuff is kinda boring when not much exciting shit actually _happens_...

Anyway, the pair of blondes made their way to the cafeteria, there were already a lot of people there — after all, lunch _had_ started about half an hour ago.

They each got some food — Lucas got some cheese pie while Paula settled on some pasta, before they scanned the area for some places.

Again, there weren't many areas left since they were late, but they did spot Claus and Ninten, and so moved to where they were, with Ninten being the first to notice them.

"Hey, Lucas and Paula! Let me guess — study session?"

"Yeah, History one today, and Lucas kindly offered to help me out. _Such_ a gentleman."

At that, Claus started hacking and coughing, which sounded suspiciously like _'he'll be an excellent wife'._

Unfortunately, his efforts were didn't _quite_ go unnoticed by Paula.

"I'm sorry, Claus, what was that?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, I just said 'he'll have an excellent life.' Nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Hmmm... I _suppose_ not."

Lucas and Paula sat down at the table and started eating, before Lucas starting asking questions.

"So, you two, you had Music and Biology, didn't you? How was it?"

Paula looked at Lucas quizzically — he _knew_ that neither of them were there, right? Nevertheless, Lucas was acting as if he was completely unaware, and Claus was the first to try and answer Lucas's question.

"Music? Well, Music was good, you know, Mrs Visara's always been really nice and all."

"Yeah, she is. You know, I remember you telling me a few days ago that you were revising music theory in this lesson. How was it? I've always found it hard to draw the sharps on music sheets."

"Well, we were just going over some of the basic stuff today. We're gonna continue next week."

"Well, that sounds good. Did she say what you'd be doing then?"

Paula was getting more and more confused now. She used her telepathy to speak with Lucas.

_"Lucas... what are you doing? You know they weren't actually there."_

Lucas heard her thoughts and replied with his own.

_"Oh, I know. I just wanna see how they try and lie their way out of this one."_

Paula internally giggled at that one.

_"My, my, when did you get **this** devious?"_

Meanwhile, Claus was internally sweating at Lucas's continued questions. Why was he _this_ curious, on today of _all_ days? Still, he did his best to make up an answer.

"Well, we're looking over time signatures next week, and how to quickly identify when a piece breaks away from them, specifically for more tricky time signatures."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well... ah! Has Mrs Visara played _that_ piece for your class? That one by that Chommian composer, Shogo Sakai?"

"Oh _God_ , not _Strong One?"_

"Yeah, _that's_ the one. And oh man, that time signature... 15/8... _15/8!_ I didn't even _know_ that existed before I heard that song! It's _bullshit!"_

Seconded — and _don't_ try playing _Strong One_ on a piano! It does _not_ end well...

Anyways, Lucas was actually impressed — Claus was answering his questions in enough detail that if he didn't already know that he skipped class, he _definitely_ would have believed him. So maybe it was time to switch topics.

"How about Biology then?"

"Well... yeah, it was fine and all... I don't really like Biology and all though..."

_"Lucas?"_

_"Yeah, Paula?"_

_"Do you mind if I join in?"_

_"By all means, be my guest."_

Paula turned to Ninten who had been hoping to avoid the scrutinisation currently going on, but Paula wasn't gonna let him go _that_ easily.

"What about you then, Ninten? What did you do in Biology?"

"Oh! Well, um, we, ah, _well_... we... we did a _dissection!"_

Claus immediately gave Ninten his best _'what the fuck are you going on about?'_ look, while a smile made its way onto Lucas and Paula's faces.

"A _dissection?"_

"Yeah! We did a dissection!"

"On _what?"_

"Well, we did on... ah, you _see_ , it was a, a very _large_ and, er, a slimy... um... _frog!_ It was a _frog!"_

Claus immediately facepalmed at this, not even _bothering_ to hide his exasperation at his friend, while Lucas and Paula similarly didn't even bother to hide their giggles.

Once everyone regained their composure, Paula continued with the questioning.

"A frog? Well, did you learn anything interesting? In fact, I've heard that frogs can take in air through their asses... is that true?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, it's completely true — you know, Claus and I saw those ass pores clear as day!"

Lucas and Paula completely lost their composure as this point, and started _bursting_ into laughter, punctuated only by the sound of Claus _bashing_ his head into the table.

Unfortunately, Ninten didn't _quite_ get the hint.

"How did Ana find the dissection? She hates dissecting stuff, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, she does, so the teacher excused her from the practical."

That's actually the first logical thing Ninten's said. Unfortunately, it was a bit too late, since he'd already put the nails in his and Claus's coffin, and it was time that they hammered them _in._

_"Would you like to do the honours, Paula?"_

_"Oh, Lucas, I couldn't! After all, you were the one who came up with this idea!"_

Lucas turned to Paula before proceeding.

"Paula? Wasn't Ana in your study session today?"

Paula gave an overly exaggerated gasp in response.

"Oh my _God_ , Lucas, you're _right!"_

"And, Paula? Didn't Ana say that Claus and Ninten weren't in _either_ of her lessons today?

"Oh my _God_ , Lucas, you're right _again_!"

And at this, Ninten got what might be, _the_ definition of an _'oh shit'_ look.

As for Claus? He had the _biggest_ grin on his face, having realised _exactly_ what Lucas and Paula had done, and in truth... he was actually proud of his brother, and started applauding them.

"Very good, very good, you two. I'm honestly very impressed."

"I'm _not!_ Claus, you _can't_ keep skipping lessons like this, not so you can go and set up _more pranks!_ It's an important time of your life — our _EVEs_ are coming soon!"

Ah, yes, the _EVEs_ — or Eagleland Verified Exams. They're a series of exams one takes in Eagleland in sophomore year, that dictate one's educational future.

Foggyland has something similar actually — they're known as _FACTs,_ or Foggyland Approved Complex Tests.

Again, similar purpose, and I, being the _awesome_ person I was, SMAAAASHed mine so hard out the park, that it flew into space, orbited around the Earth, before returning back to the planet so I could SMAAAASHed it out of the park again.

Either way, these exams were well known for being _hard_ and were of course a quintessential point of everyone's lives right now.

"The EVEs, the EVEs, it's always about the _fucking EVEs!_ Why does _everyone_ have to be on my case about it?!"

"Because, Claus, they’re _important!_ And you're gonna have to pass them! You wanna be a musician, _don't you?_ So please... please just keep focused for this time... because I'd _hate_ to see your talent wasted."

Claus sighed at this... it really _was_ impossible to resist Lucas when he was like this.

"Fine... you're right... you're _always_ right..."

"Thank you."

The four spent a minute eating in silence before Ninten and Claus finished and got up.

"Are you two going then?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go and watch Ness practice some baseball. You coming, Claus?"

"Yeah, why not? Let me just get some water first."

"I'll join you — I'm feeling thirsty as well."

Ninten and Claus made to the water fountain, to hydrate themselves before leaving, which left Lucas and Paula alone.

"So... care to explain what _that_ was back there?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That just now. You speaking up against Claus."

"Oh... well, I couldn't just let him _throw_ away his future like that! Are you saying I _shouldn't_ have said anything?"

"Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite — I think that kinda confidence could go a long way for you."

"You know... Claus was saying just the same thing yesterday..."

"Well... I disagree with your brother on _many_ things, as you know. But, for once... I'd have to _agree_ with him on this."

"I'm just... I'm just not sure how to be like that more often. It seems to be, like an _instinct_."

"Practice it, and it'll be as easy as breathing."

"Yeah... yeah! I will!"

"That's the spirit!"

" _Oh?_ Then that's my cue to _crush_ it." replied a nasally voice behind them.

And it was a voice that filled Lucas and Paula's hearts with nothing but _dread_.

Because it was a voice they knew all too well. Behind them, were four other people. The first three didn't mean anything to either of them.

The fourth _did_.

He was a large, and slightly rotund person, with greasy blonde hair, a piggish nose, and a slasher smile plastered right onto his face.

He was the person that was feared _all_ throughout the school. The person _no one_ wanted to mess with, because the best outcome would be pain.

You know what, I'll put in this way. There are only _two_ people in this world that _I_ fear.

This is _one_ of them.

_Pokey Minch._

Oh God... to say his name fills me with _despair_. Pokey... was _evil_. That is all. And there is _nothing_ you can say to convince me, or a large amount of the school, otherwise.

He _feasts_ on suffering and _lives_ for pain. And his favourite meal... was _Lucas_.

"Well, well, well. What do we have _here?_ My _favourites_. The _queers_. The _gay_ boy and the lesbian _bitch_."

It very much pissed Lucas and Paula off to hear the way that Pokey addressed them — not just the insults, but the fact that he'd purposefully get their sexualities wrong, _just_ to fuck with them.

It was a particularly sore spot for Lucas, who had trouble regarding his sexuality and Pokey was _well_ aware of this fact.

"So... how _are_ we doing today? It's a beautiful day, isn't it?

Paula was the first to respond. "Fuck off, _Porky_."

"Oh? She _speaks_. But _my dear_... you really should learn to address people with _respect_. After all... it would be a _shame_ if you gave them the wrong _idea_."

Pokey touched Paula's cheek, to which she immediately recoiled in disgust.

"My _dear_ Paula... _why_ do you hate me so much?"

If the situation had been different, Paula would have collapsed into laughter at the question. Instead, she scoffed before giving her reply.

"Because you're a fucking lunatic who has no sense of basic morality."

"Such... _harsh_ words. You don't even _know_ me. You have yet to see how sweet and gentle I can be."

"There is _no_ sentence in the world in which your name belongs with the words 'sweet' and 'gentle'."

"Oh, but _soon_ you'll say otherwise! You stick around with Ness... but _why_? You could be with me instead. I can give you anything you wanted on a silver platter. I would be such a better boyfriend."

"I don't know how many times I need to say it before it gets through that _thick_ skull to that non existent _brain_ of yours, but I'll say it again: I will _die_ , before I _ever_ consider dating you."

Pokey slammed his hands onto the table.

"Be careful what you say, my dear... because you might just find that I'm willing to _test_ that."

It was here though, that Lucas finally decided to speak up.

"Don't you dare touch her."

Pokey immediately spun to face Lucas, his eyes flashing dangerously.

" _What_ did you say?"

"You heard me. Don't you dare touch her!"

Pokey burst into manical laughter for a good 30 seconds before he finally responded. By now, _all_ the cafeteria was watching Pokey, but no one dared to try and intervene, for fear of endangering _themselves_.

"Hahahahaha! Boys, isn't this _sweet?_ The gay boy's sticking up for his best friend's girlfriend! And he _thinks_ , hahahaha, he thinks, he _really_ thinks..."

With a slam of his fist, Pokey looked Lucas dead in the eyes.

"That he can tell _me_ what to do."

There was a silence. A silence _so_ quiet, that a pin hitting the floor could have been heard anywhere. For a infinitely long minute, there was nothing but a silence.

And then Pokey broke it with two simple words.

**"Get him."**

And before Lucas or Paula could react, Pokey's three goons immediately _grabbed_ Lucas by the arms and legs, holding him in the air.

Paula immediately got to her feet, rage filling her eyes.

" _Drop_ him. _Now_."

"Or _what?_ What are you gonna do? A pretty face won't help you here, and I'm afraid that's _all_ you are."

"You know... that's what they _all_ say. But I'm _more_ than just a pretty face. I'm a _deadly_ one. PK FIRE!"

And before _Pokey_ could react, a bolt of fire flew _straight_ into his face, bursting into flames, burning his face, and causing him to cry out in pain... but he hasn't cried out _enough_.

When the flames died out, there was a smoked snarl on Pokey's face.

"You _bitch_."

And before anyone could quite comprehend what just happened, Pokey and Paula started this rather peculiar game of cat and mouse, the enraged pig trying to grab her.

His efforts were very much in vain — Paula simply kept him at a distance with PK Fire, and Pokey was left only to try and throw some plates at her — which he _missed_.

Indeed, it seemed as if Paula had the advantage, being in better shape than the man pig and not having as much rage to cloud her thoughts. I can say without a _shadow_ of a doubt that _if_ Pokey had fought fair, Paula would have _won_.

Unfortunately, and perhaps rather predictably, Pokey _didn't_ fight _fair_.

He called one of his goons to help him out, and a two on one fight ensued. Surprisingly for Pokey, Paula was able to handle the extra opponent very well.

"My, my, Porky, not only could you not even take a _girl_ by _yourself_ , you couldn't even take her out with _help_."

"Shut up, shut up, _SHUT UP!_ GET HER!"

And so, a _three_ on one fight ensued — and while Paula was able to take on two people very well, three was simply too much for her, and it wasn't that long before Pokey had his goons pin her to the ground, before attending to Lucas.

"Lucas, Lucas, _Lucas_... what are we going to do with _you?"_

Pokey gestured to Paula, who was on the floor, trying her best to break free of her restrainers, but their grip was simply too firm.

"You see that, Lucas? You see how you make everyone around you miserable? You see how you make me _miserable?_ Like when you _took_ Ness away from me?!"

"Pokey... I didn't _take_ Ness away from you. _You_ did. Ness left you because you're a selfish asshole. The only person you have to blame... is _yourself_."

For a moment, Pokey looked... _surprised?_ It was almost as if... as if he _understood_ Lucas.

But one moment later, his eyes dilated with an unchained _fury_ , and he looked at Lucas with a murderous glare.

_"You'll pay for that."_

In an instant, Lucas was in the air, being suspended in the air by his waist by Pokey. He tried to wiggle free, but the Pig King's death grip was inescapable — with just a single hand, Pokey was able to prevent Lucas from doing anything at all.

"Time for... _respect."_

With a gleam in his eyes, Pokey punched Lucas as hard as he could in the stomach, impacting with a sickening sound, and a cry of pain from Lucas that forced the air in his lungs out just as quickly as it came in.

"Good... good! _Scream_ for me, Lucas. Scream as much as you _can!"_

The next punch was aimed for Lucas's head, and for a moment, Lucas didn't know what happened. He was punched so hard, that he couldn't comprehend the situation... he saw sunflowers spinning all around him, before he was suddenly jolted back to reality.

A kick to the groin. Pokey knew exactly where to hurt a person most, and he _certainly_ abused to the fullest extent.

"STOP IT, YOU SICK BASTARD!"

But Paula's prayer went unanswered.

Pokey simply pretended not to hear her, and no one in the cafeteria was willing to rise to their defence, out of fear of experiencing the same fate as Lucas. In fact, many of the students were leaving as fast as they possibly could, for their own safety.

After what seemed like forever, Pokey finally released Lucas, dropping him to the floor.

But he wasn't done yet.

He approached the staggered and bruised Lucas who was still laying on the ground. With a malevolent smile on his face, he stomped down as hard as he could on Lucas's chest.

"THIS! IS! WHAT! YOU! GET! YOU! BASTARD!"

With each word came a stomp to accompany it, and when Pokey reached the end, he finished it off with a boot to the face, leaving a bloody and battered Lucas on the floor.

Pokey forced Lucas up to his feet, where he grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against a wall, _strangling_ him as hard as he could.

"You feel this, Lucas?! Do you feel that void of hopelessness and _despair?!_ No... you don't! You will _never_ understand what _I_ feel, because of _you!_ Until now —”

"GET YOUR _FILTHY_ HANDS OF MY BROTHER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Every pair of eyes in the cafeteria looked to the entrance, where two boys stood — Ninten and a very pissed off Claus.

"What the _hell_?! You two _left_! I _saw_ you go!"

With anger dripping into his voice, Claus spat his reply.

"We came _back_. We heard about this from all those students who _left_! Now, let _go_ of my brother, and I _might_ try to leave you alive."

  
  


Pokey wasn't so sure in himself now — he still had the advantage in terms of numbers, since Lucas and Paula were both incapacitated, but every time he'd butted heads with Claus, he'd _always_ ended up in equal amounts of pain.

It's why Pokey made sure that Claus and Ninten had left before he approached Lucas. Still, despite his reservations, he put his brave face and replied with a piggish laugh.

"You know, some may call this _braveness_. _I_ call it _stupidity_."

"You know, some may call you _strong_. _Everyone_ calls you an _asshole_."

Pokey clutched his heart in mockery before he replied with sarcasm lining his voice.

"Oh _no_ , how _devastating_. I'm _so_ hurt."

Claus had had enough of this. If this bastard wouldn't do things the easy way, he'd be more than happy to do things the hard way. It'd be all the more _fun_ for him.

"Ninten... you _sure_ you're up for this? You've got no reason to be here."

"I've got _plenty_ of reasons to be here, Claus. Like being here for a _friend_."

  
  


At the same time, Claus and Ninten made a mad dash straight for Pokey, but two of his goons halted their path.

They meant nothing for the two though — with sheer fury fuelling them, they punched their aggressors in the faces, before whaling on them with a series of swift kicks from Ninten, and a bolt of PK Thunder from Claus.

The goons ran away from Claus, and back to helping their one friend hold Paula down. Ninten briefly considered going after them, but decided to help his friend with Pokey.

  
  


Meanwhile, Claus couldn't care less about them — all that mattered was the man pig in front of his face, and all he could see was the _red_ that stained his eyes.

Reluctantly, Pokey let go of Lucas, who took the opportunity to get away from him and turned to Claus and Ninten, before being subjected to a furious flurry of punches.

It was a very one sided fight — Claus and Ninten were already rather strong individually, so Pokey stood no chance against their combined assault.

Two of Pokey's goons became aware of their master's situation and rushed off to help him, but Ninten had been keeping an eye out specifically _for_ that possibility, and quickly disengaged from Pokey so he could put them down on the ground.

In fact, it gave Lucas the opportunity to force the last person holding Paula down to release her, with his signature PSI, the PSI that had the power to reshape the _world_.

"PK LOVE!"

A myriad of multicoloured hexagons flew out of Lucas's hands towards Porky's goons, forcing them to relinquish Paula, and free from her restrainers, she quickly got her revenge on all three of them with a flicker of her fingers, and a blast of PK Fire.

The scorched goons decided it would be best not to deal with the psychic blondes, and instead tried to help their master together, hoping that four on two could help even things out.

It did _somewhat_ — but the extra numbers were countered by the fact that all three of them had already been injured a _great_ deal.

"AND THIS IS FOR LUCAS!"

With a punch to the stomach, Claus shoved Pokey down to the floor, where he leaped on him and starting punching the everliving _shit_ out of the sadistic pig, drawing more and more blood with each punch.

_"Paula... I think we should stop Claus."_

_"No. He's had this something like this coming for a long time. This... is justice."_

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

6 teachers, led by Mr Visara, all bursted into the cafeteria. Ninten and Pokey's three goons all stopped as soon as they heard the voices, knowing the _'game'_ was up.

Claus and Pokey, on the other hand, did _not,_ continuing to punch and claw at the other respectively, until four of the teachers _forced_ them apart.

"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU ALL DOING?! THE SIX OF YOU, PRINCIPAL ITOI'S OFFICE!"

The six of them — Ninten, Claus, Pokey and his three subordinates, all left the cafeteria accompanied by four of the teachers, each in a different state of mind.

Pokey's goons just looked humiliated. Ninten, however, had seem to have just accepted the consequences without any issue. Claus simply looked on with vindictive _joy_ on his face.

And as for Pokey? His expression was one of pure _anger_ , anger over having failed _again_ , anger at _Lucas_ , and most of all, anger over _still_ not having _Ness_.

But, at least for now, he couldn't _do_ anything with that anger.

Mr Visara came up to Lucas and Paula, briefly examining them both.

"Hm... I'd say you two need to go to the nurse's office. Do you need anyone to come with you?"

"We'll be fine. Let's go, Lucas."

With that, Lucas and Paula made their way out of the cafeteria, while the rest of the teachers did their best to try and restore some sort of order to the remaining students.

While the two made their way to the nurse's office, Lucas noticed Paula was clutching her jaw a lot.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just, ow, my jaw kinda hurts since that bastard punched me."

"Here... I think this'll work..."

Lucas held his hands up to Paula's face before using PSI Lifeup, and then once more on himself. Some of the bruises that had swelled up on Paula seemed to shrivel and the injuries on Lucas's face partially disappeared.

"Thanks... it doesn't hurt as much anymore."

"Yeah, you should still get that checked out. But we're almost there."

The nurse's office was thankfully rather close to the cafeteria, and when they got there, they were quickly attended to by Nurse Rama, a kind man (yes, _man_ , and they _are_ still referred to as nurses) who had been the school's nurse for quite some time.

"Sit down, both of you. I was forwarned of some sort of commotion. Will I have any more people I need to see?"

"6 more soon enough."

"Hm, I will have to prepare for them then... I presume I'll be expecting Pokey and Claus seeing as you were involved, Lucas."

"Yeah, they both got into a fight."

"Yes, and I've seen them far too many times. Still, it _is_ admirable in a way... but never mind that. Let's have a look at you two."

He first examined Paula first, having a look at her injuries.

"Well, let's see, you don't seem to have many injuries, and most of them seemed to have already healed..."

"That'll be because of Lucas."

"Well, he's done a very good job of it. Let's have a look at you then, Lucas."

Lucas's injuries were more severe — Pokey's beating had certainly done a number on him.

"Hm... some bruising... it doesn't seem too severe, and it should heal with time. You could do with some PSI therapy... I recommend two uses of Lifeup every day, once in the morning and once in the evening with your meals. And, of course, _try_ to avoid fights like this in the future."

Lucas opened his mouth to interject, but Dr Rama was quicker and predicted what he was going to say.

"I know, I know, you don't generally try and get into fights. Still, if you can, avoid them, at least for the time being."

"Alright. I'll do my best."

"So, can we leave then?"

"You may, but Lucas cannot."

"Why not?!"

"That's a matter I can only disclose with Lucas. But, he'll be perfectly safe."

"Fine... bye, Lucas. Stay safe."

With great reluctance, Paula left the room, leaving Lucas alone with the nurse. Although he trusted the man, he was still a little wary, particularly over what he just said.

"So... why do you need me to stay?"

Nurse Rama sighed before continuing.

"I'm obliged to tell you this, Lucas — all six of them will be suspended. Pokey and Claus more so, since the former instigated this conflict and the latter severely escalated it.”

Lucas pounded the desk in anger.

"How is that fair?! Claus was just defending me!"

"Be that as it may, Claus caused equal amounts of injuries to Pokey as Pokey did to everyone _else_. Yes, it was for a good reason, but alas, that's just how things work. We have to try and look and things from an objective point of view, and we cannot overlook the fact that Claus _did_ contribute a lot to all of this."

"But... then you should be suspending me, for attacking, and, and Paula for burning some of... shit..."

Nurse Rama smiled before replying. “I'm sorry, I didn't _hear_ that, Lucas. When the eight of you were found, you and Paula were merely _observing_ the fight, like everyone _else_ in the cafeteria, _weren't you?_ Hence, we have _no_ proof that you fought back at all and therefore, we cannot punish either of you."

He went in a bit closer and lowered his voice before continuing.

"Though... you may wish to inform Claus that burn marks caused by fire are _very_ different from ones caused by electricity and kicking someone generally does _not_ leave hexagonal imprints in someone."

"So... why do I have to stay, if I'm not being suspended?"

"We're sending the others home as soon as we can — starting with Pokey. However, we run the risk of Pokey meeting you while he's leaving, and well... I'd like to avoid seeing you here again so quickly.

"How long do I have to stay then?"

"End of the day, I'm afraid. You're free to do whatever you want in here, for how little that may actually be. I've got some work to do, but if you need anything, I will be there."

So for the next two or so hours, Lucas was forced to simply stay and wait, biding his time in the doctor's office, though he was able to make himself busy by doing some of his homework, until the end of the school day.

"Alright, you're free to leave. Have a nice weekend."

"Thank you, Mr Rama. Have a nice weekend."

As Lucas navigated the hallways, he noticed the masses of students there — it appears most of them had just been released from lessons, and the usual weekend rush had begun, with Lucas being careful not to get swept away.

When he turned one particular corner, he saw a familiar blue and yellow striped shirt boy out of the corner of his eye... Ness!

"Ness! Over here!"

Ness spun around, almost hitting some of the other students, and saw his friend, instantly rushing over to him.

"Lucas! Oh my god, are you alright?! I heard about everything from Paula!"

"So you know what happened then?"

With disgust in his voice, Ness clenched his fist, and replied.

" _Pokey_. And he did _this_ to you! One of these days, I'm gonna break all his teeth."

"Ness, you don't have to do that. It was my fault anyway... if I hadn't provoked him, then he wouldn't have tried to attack me and Paula, and Claus and Ninten wouldn't have been suspe —”

"Stop _right_ there. Lucas... this isn't your fault at _all_. The only person who is responsible for any of this is that _asshole._ Sometimes... I dunno, I just feel that if anything, this is _my_ fault."

"Come on, you know that's not true."

"But it is! I... I _should_ have ended things differently with him..."

Indeed, believe it or not, Ness and Pokey were once _friends_ , _good_ ones at that. So what happened? Pokey... _changed_.

It was some time in middle school that Pokey started becoming more... well, I'm not entirely sure _how_ to describe it. More of an _asshole_ , really.

This was when Pokey began being well known as a bully, picking on those beneath him. Ness would go to confront him, and Pokey would apologise and swear to change his ways.

But, as you might guess, he always relapsed. No matter how many second, or third, or fourth, or fifth chances, that Ness gave Pokey, the result was always the same.

Until one day, there _were_ no more chances.

Ness... refused to be Pokey's friend anymore.

And the results were... _well_... what you see right now. A boy with _hatred_ that festered _deep_ in his heart.

History repeated itself, and Porky Minch was born once more.

When Ness entered high school, he quickly became best friends with Lucas. As you might imagine, Pokey didn't take _too_ kindly to the idea of being replaced by this _'weak, patheticgay boy.'_

Hence, Lucas became Pokey's number one target... and he had developed quite the vendetta against him.

"Pokey did what he did, and he has no one but himself to blame. It's as much your fault, as it is mine."

"Yeah... I suppose you're right. Hey, I need to go to my locker to get my bat. Do you mind comin' with me?"

"Sure."

Ness's locker wasn't too far from where they were, and when they did so, Ness took some time to get his bat out. Lucas saw the school's janitor in the distance and called out to him.

"Hey, Duster!"

"What... ah, Lucas, how are you? I heard about what happened."

"I'm alright, I didn't really get beat up all that much."

"Glad you're alright. I heard your brother was involved as well."

"Yeah, he jumped right into it all..."

"I'm not surprised — he's always been quite a plucky one, getting himself into trouble... but he has a good heart. If only he and Ninten could lay off the pranks..."

"I'll see what I can do — make your life a bit easier!"

"You know, that would be great... anyway, I need to be off... school won't clean itself."

With that, Duster limped away. The man was considered by many in the school to be rather strange, having somewhat bad breath, a gloomy feel, walking with a limp, and some of the meaner students said he looked like a _bum_... but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lucas wondered if he was the only person who ever spoke to Duster... he could very well be. It was a shame — he was actually quite a nice person, but no one ever tried to get to know him... it was quite _sad_ to him.

"Everything okay, Lucas?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah... let's go then.”

As they walked away, Lucas couldn't help but keep his eyes on Duster, who was trying to open the door to his office, but he seemed to be _struggling_ for some reason.

_“Huh... I wonder what's wrong with Duster... he can't get into his... OH SHIT!”_

It was at this moment that Lucas remembered something _very_ important — what Claus had said to him in the morning.

_'Stay away from the janitor's closet at the end of school...'_

Lucas didn't know what Claus meant by that.

What he _did_ know, is that he was at the janitor's closet... and it was the _end of school._

"Ness... I think we need to move _now!"_

"What? Why?"

But Lucas didn't have the chance to answer the question, for he was interrupted by something _else_.

"Finally, this thing ope — _WHAT THE HELL!"_

But Duster's cries were almost indistinguishable from the _other_ sound that was heard — the sound of hundreds of bouncing _balls_.

Many students, including Ness and Lucas, immediately turned around to witness the fruits of Claus and Ninten's labours — that being the _giant_ assortment of tennis balls, footballs, soccer balls, baseballs, golf balls, basketballs and even _bowling_ balls (where on Earth did they get _those?_ ), which the two had managed to stuff into Duster's office, _all_ of which came pouring out at once.

The impact was _enormous_ , and soon the ground was covered with all sorts of different sports balls.

Now, if the ground was perfectly level, that would have been the end of the story.

However... the ground was _sloped_.

And Duster's office was at the _top_ of it.

  
  


The Harsh Mistress of Gravity quickly took hold and immediately, _all_ the balls starting rolling down.  
  


Towards about _100_ students.

"OH MY GOD! RUN!"

"RUN!"

"THEY'RE GONNA CRUSH US ALL!"

"IT'S THE END!"

I must admit — there is something _very_ amusing about seeing 100 students and a janitor all run in _terror_ from a cascade of balls, all trying to squash them thinner than a pizza under a stampeding herd of Dino Rhinos.

  
  


Of course, that could just be because I'm perfectly safe in... well, _wherever_ the fuck I am. I... haven't figured out yet...

But to summarise, it was absolute panic and _mayhem_. Students were desperately running, some tripping others over, Duster trying to gain control of the situation, and of course, our two heroes trying not to be swept away by the wave of students, into the tide of balls.

"LUCAS, LOOK OUT!"

Lucas instinctively ducked — and just in time! A tennis ball narrowly missed his head, hitting the wall behind him.

Some of the students, the more _chaotic_ loving ones, had decided to pick up some of the balls, and _throw_ them at some of the other students.

That doesn't sound too bad... until you remember that some of those balls included things like _baseballs_.

_"Claus, I swear to God, when I get home, I am going to **kill** you!"_

But right now, Lucas needed to save himself, and Ness, from this situation. He saw some of the students diving into classrooms and shutting them tight, to prevent any of the balls from getting in.

Seeing a broom cupboard nearby, Lucas's heart swelled with courage and he took Ness's hand, before quickly diving into the cupboard, sealing it with a broom.

"... phew... we should be safe now."

"Yeah... that was some real quick thinking there, Lucas... thanks for the save!"

"It was nothing... but now we're stuck here until... _however_ long we have to stay here. I can still hear students outside...”

"Then we'll just have to get comfortable until it all ends."

That wouldn't be the easiest task in the world though, owing to the fact that they were in a _closet._ It was rather dark inside, and there wasn't any lights either.

It was also rather cramped — the brooms took up some space and one of the walls was occupied by some cleaning supplies.

Still, they'd made due, and the psychic boys huddled themselves in a corner together.

"Ness... how... how long do you think we'll have to wait here?"

"Not sure. I don't think we should leave until we can sure that it's completely safe. But where _did_ all those balls come from anyway?"

"I can answer that one: my brother."

"Ah... one of their pranks. You know, I usually like their pranks... but I think this one's gone a bit too far."

"Yeah... they've never really had a good concept of dangerous things."  
  


"Lucas... is something wrong?"

Lucas chuckled under his breath.

"You know, you're the _second_ person to ask me that today. What makes you ask?"

"Your voice... it doesn't have that usual _brightness_ in it."

"I guess... I'm just thinking..."

"About what?"

"About everything, I suppose... exams... home... _Pokey_..."

"What have you got to worry about? You're one of the _best_ students in this school, Lucas — and don't even _think_ of trying to argue otherwise! You're gonna smash these exams so hard that _every_ school's gonna want you! You've got a _great_ family that all love you and support you — _including_ Claus, even if it's in his own, unique way! And as for Pokey? Don't let him get to you. He makes your life miserable because he's an _ass_. _Not_ because you deserve it."

"Yeah... you're right."

"See? Not _just_ a handsome face, am I?"

_"Oh, I don't know about that... after all, you have got quite the handsome face..."_

"So then... is there anything you're thinking about?"

"No... no, that's about it."

But that was far from the truth. There was _much_ more on Lucas's mind — the most prominent thought being the fact that he was in a _closet_ , with _Ness_ , and was _huddled_ next to him.

His cheeks started to flush with an intensity that made Lucas rather relieved that it was dark in here, and his heart started to race faster than an Exit Mouse that had eaten a Skip Sandwich.

Suffice to say, Lucas was sure that if Ness so much as _touched_ him, he'd likely _explode_... in shock.

_"Try and... get close to him, see if he's any different."_

Claus's _'advice'_ came to Lucas's mind... he never thought that he'd _actually_ get into a situation where he could apply it... but, he _was_...

_"Maybe... maybe I should give it a try..."_

With the level of care one might use to defuse a _bomb_ , Lucas ever so slightly inched his way towards Ness, feeling more and more of his warmth.

Ness didn't seem to notice, or didn't seem to mind, so Lucas advanced a bit more, until Ness spoke out.

"Lucas... are you alright?"

"I... I, I'm fine! I... I'm just a little cold!"

Not exactly the best lie, but Lucas didn't exactly have much capacity for thought right now — the two of them were shoulder to shoulder right now, and _damn_ , that was distracting as _fuck._

"Ah, I get that. After all, it _is_ almost winter... I think I should stop wearing these shorts..."

"Why do, do you keep doing so then?"

Ness mumbled something under his breath.

"You're gonna have to speak louder."

With a sigh, Ness continued.

"Well... Paula likes them... and you know, she's my first girlfriend... I don't wanna screw things up..."

"Ness, you shouldn't have to catch _frostbite_ just for your girlfriend. And besides, I'm fairly sure Paula won't have any issues with you wearing warmer clothing for the _winter_."

"... really?"

"I think you need to have more faith in your relationship. You've been together for over a year, and you've been friends for even longer."

"Huh... can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"I... I haven't really been spending much time with Paula recently... it's partly my fault, but... I think it's also hers. She spends a lot of time helping people... I dunno, I guess I'm just being silly... but it feels like we haven't been doing much recently."

"But aren't the two of you are going on a date tomorrow?"

"Paula told you, then... it's actually been a while, and I had to rearrange it twice. You'll probably think I'm just really clingy and dumb... but I think Paula's been _ignoring_ me."

_"Oh my god... this, this is it! He's... he's having doubts... this is my chance! Okay... I can't blow this..."_

"I think you may be a little paranoid. I don't think Paula's ignoring you, or at the very least, she's not _intentionally_ ignoring you. But, if it brothers you... you should say so. And, Paula might _also_ have some things that she's scared of admitting to you as well. But, the two of you won't get anywhere by keeping secrets from each other."

"I think you're right.... yeah... yeah! Tomorrow, I'm gonna tell her and see if we can work things out!”

_“That... wasn’t what I was going for... DAMN IT!”_

"Do you think we'll get any snow this winter, Lucas?"

"Maybe... I hope not though."

"Why not? I thought you like snow! It’s soft and cold — just like you right now!”

"I _do_... but I'm not so good with the cold."

Ness gave a rich laugh at that.

"Don't worry — I'll be there to warm you up!"

To illustrate his point, Ness wrapped his arms around Lucas and pulled him closer, rubbing Lucas's back to warm him up.

Ness's efforts did more than just warm Lucas up — it completely _fried_ his mind.

"Thank you..."

"Nah, thank _yew_! Paula and I have been in sort of a rocky area, but your clever mind has helped me out again!”

_"Yeah, I'm a freaking genius, aren't I..."_

“It’s... not a problem... I’m just glad I could I help. Even though —”

“Hold that thought, Lucas... do you hear anything?”

“No... but why do you ask?”

“The coast may be clear then... let’s see.”

Ness stood up and took the broom out of the door, before carefully opening it.

Outside... was a mess. Balls were scattered about the hallway, some having stopped from losing momentum. But they weren’t rolling down _nearly_ as fast as they were before. It seemed to be safe.

“Lucas... I think things should be fine now.”

“If you’re sure...”

Lucas emerged from the cupboard, seeing the mess outside. Some of the other students had started to come out from their various shelters, and quickly dispersed.

“Let’s get out of here... we’ve wasted enough time.”

The two boys quickly navigated their way through the corridors, out into the open fields surrounding the school, before taking the familiar path back to their houses.

“That was _crazy_... I’m gonna have some serious words with Claus tonight about this prank.”

“Well, it was all in good fun, right?”

“Yeah, all in good fun... until someone gets hurt.”

"Hm... you do have a point there.”

“But Claus never listens to anyone... I don’t even know if I should _bother_.”

“Really? Cause that’s only half right — Claus won’t listen to _any_ old person... but he will listen to _you_.”

“You think?”

“Hey, you give such great advice that _everyone_ would listen to you, Lucas! I owe ya one for your relationship advice! In fact... are you doing anything on Sunday?”

Lucas thought for a moment before responding.

  
  


“No, I’ve haven’t gotten anything planned.”

“In that case, you wanna come to the arcade with me? I hear they’ve got a new machine — Super Bash Bros!”

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of that one... that’s the onewhere with all those different characters which you fight with.”

“Yeah, it sounds really fun!”

“Eh... I’m not a fan of fighting games... I preferred Super Foppy 128...”

  
  


“Really? _That_ game?

“Yeah! Commanding an group of Foppies... it’s really fun, especially making sure that they don’t die. I’m working on a No Foppy Death run right now.”

“I would not have the patience for that... the Foppies are so dumb! Why do red Foppies go into water when they know they will drown?! Idiots!”

“I dunno... I mean, you’re _right_ , but I guess that’s part of the fun... it’s like trying to manage a bunch of kids. But anyway, I’ll still come!”

“Great! Well... I guess this is where we part ways... I’ll meet you at your house on Sunday then.”

“Okay!”

“It’s a date then! See ya, Lucas!”

And with a surprisingly large amount of force, Ness hugged Lucas tightly before running in the opposite direction, leaving a stunned Lucas behind him.

“... bye... Ness...”

As Lucas made his way home, the familiar swirls of thoughts swivelled around his head once more.  
  


  
  


_“I... I don’t know what to do... Ness and Paula... their relationship seems to be unstable... but can I really capitalise on that? No... I, I can’t! I... I can’t do that!And even when I try, I can’t even sow discord... instead, I end up doing the opposite. I suppose Ness and I are just... friends... ‘best’ friends... but I’m a terrible one.”_

But as Lucas kept walking, a new set of thoughts came to him.

_“But are we... just best friends? Best friends don’t feel this way about each other... best friends don’t spend their time huddled together in a closet, scheming to steal them from their girlfriend... and best friends don’t hug each other... right?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... it's a good thing that I split the chapters like this... you know, I wasn't sure if this whole 'A Tale of' naming thing was gonna work, but you know what? I think it's worked out pretty well.
> 
> There's a shit ton of stuff to go over... so let's get started!
> 
> In this world, Shogo Sakai (the composer for the Mother Series) is an actual composer, and Strong One is an actual song. I'm sorry, okay, it's a brilliant song, I was talking about time signatures — I saw an opportunity and I had to take it! While I'm at it, Itoi is the principal of the school, for obvious reasons... which really amuses me.
> 
> Meanwhile, the EVEs and FACTs are supposed to be my parallels to GCSEs — yes, I know Americans don't have an equivalent to GCSEs but I was very proud of that abbreviation and I had to use it.
> 
> And then Pokey... I should clarify — he is referred to as Pokey and Porky in this fic. Pokey is his actual name, Porky is his nickname given by students. As you might guess, he's the resident school bully... or is he?
> 
> Nurse Rama, is actually based on Talah Rama — yes, the guy from the Monkey Cave. I chose him because... well, why not? Plus, I wanted to avert traditional expectations and have a male nurse (although it's nice to see that particular trend is becoming less prominent) — yeah, gender roles is something which I have rather strong opinions on, if Chapter 1 is any indication.
> 
> As for Duster, he's a janitor — I think that is the perfect role for Duster in this story, and the idea of him having to clean behind all of Claus and Ninten's pranks is also funny to me... if a little sad.
> 
> And speaking of Claus and Ninten, that elaborate prank of theirs? Yeah, that was all so I could set up a situation in which Ness and Lucas were in a close, confined space. You're welcome.
> 
> Finally, obvious Smash and Pikmin rip off is obvious, but headcanon of mine — Lucas would be sick at Pikmin. Anyway, congrats for reading this mammoth of a chapter and as always, hope you enjoyed!


	4. A Tale Of Dates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter. That's all I have to say. Please, please don't feel compelled to read this in one go! Seriously, if you need to take a break, do so! Enjoy...

In outer space,

There's a massive chase,

For the alien race,

With a Mewtwo's face.

They show their worth,

By invading Earth.

And they claim our turf

So they need a nerf,

They live so long,

And they do much wrong,

And their only weakness,

Is a single song.

So, we gotta go and yeetus,

Before the aliens delete us,

When one of them's a fetus,

They're gonna come and greet us.

We gotta go and yeetus,

Before the aliens delete us,

When one of them's a fetus,

They're gonna come and greet us!

When they're rollin' and rockin',

The show will be stoppin',

And then we'll be hoppin'

To the end of the world!

But four heroes goes on,

With a piece of a song,

And hearts that make them all

A true paragon!

So sing the 8 Melodies,

Bring them down to their knees,

And then take all their keys,

And then, we will be free!

Giygas goes down,

And then we take the crown,

While they're wearing a frown,

We say _'get the fuck out!'_

So, we gotta go and yeetus,

Before the humans delete us,

When one of us is a fetus,

They're gonna go and greet us.

We gotta go and yeetus

Before the humans delete us,

When one of us is a fetus,

They're gonna go and greet us!

_EPIC GUITAR SOLOOOOOOOOO_...ohhhhh... oh... I've... I'm...

...I've... I've got... _company_... ah... _ah_... well then... you... _you_... ah...

You. Heard. Nothing. You hear me? _Nothing!_

You will never speak about this. You will never _think_ about this. And you will forget _all_ about this incident.

... you're _not_ gonna forget this, are you?

What, can't an immortal deity _rap_ in their free time? I get _bored_ , okay?! Seriously, this whole God shtick fucking _sucks!_ You get _no_ food, _no_ water, and _no_ money!

I mean, I don't _need_ any of these things... but that's not the _point!_

It's a thankless job, and people are always hating you for causing shit like an earthquake or a drought or God knows. Oh wait...

Actually, wait a minute... I don't cause any of that _shit!_ My job is to make sure that the world doesn't fucking _end_... so who the _hell_ is causing all the earthquakes and _tsunamis?!_

Oh yeah, _God._

So, yeah, I get _bored_. Especially considering that the majority of my job consists on watching a bunch of horny teenagers all mingle with each other, and seeing Lucas try and enact a bunch of things I'm too _pure_ to say...

I'm actually _not._

I dunno, watching Lucas try and court Ness... wow, I'm _very_ old fashioned, aren't I? Anyway, watching Lucas attempt to woo... yeah, that's _not_ any better. Okay... watching Lucas attempt to _screw_ Ness — that works, flips between being amusing and _annoying_. Or _both_.

Part of it stems from the fact that Lucas hasn't taken the obvious solution: mind control Paula and force her to break up with Ness. This will lead to Ness becoming an emotionally _devastated_ wreck that doesn't think he's worth anything to _anyone_ , and then Lucas can swoop in and _shower_ Ness with love and adoration, Ness realises that Lucas was really the person for him all along, and it's a _happy_ ending for everyone!

I mean, save for Paula, who _will_ undoubtedly be heartbroken at this and want to _kill_ herself, but this does give _Claus_ a second chance at having her...

Okay, yeah, nah, that's going too far — _no_ women deserves to be with Claus.

I know I seem like a horrible person here, and to be fair, I _am_. But, _in my defence_ , I've seen _countless_ numbers of humans die across all my time. Literally, I _tried_ to keep count, but I _couldn't_ — there are _so_ many deaths that I just gave up.

And trust me, I'm _very_ good at keeping count of nonsensical things that most people wouldn't even _think_ to.

I can tell you how many times Claus has had detention — _43_. I honestly thought it would be _much_ more than that, but Claus is awfully good at this whole _'not getting caught'_ business.

I could also tell you how many times Ness and Paula have _kissed_ — _378_... they... have some very _intense_ make out sessions. Incidentally, the number of times Lucas's heart has shattered is close to that — _351_.

I can _even_ tell you _exactly_ how long I've _lived for_ — _517,289,432 years... and_ 113 days.

Well... that's actually kinda _debatable_. I've technically _lived_ that long anyway, but, well... ah, forget it.

But either way, the woes of a few humans? Yeah, it's _nothing_ to me. I suppose being God makes you rather _jaded_ , doesn't it?

So why the fuck I'm bothering to watch Lucas then? It's... _complicated_...

Yeah... that's basically my life in a nutshell, isn't it? It's _complicated_.

I'm sorry, this isn't about me though, is it? It's about Lucas. So let's get back to things, shall we?

So last time, Lucas went through a number of things in the afternoon, including a fight with one Pokey Minch, a trip to the nurse's office and spending seven minutes in heaven with Ness... only with 100% _less_ kissing then Lucas was hoping for.

The emotionally frustrated teen had just made his way back home, where his brother greeted him — Claus had been suspended for engaging in a rather _vicious_ fight with Pokey.

But you know, Claus was fighting for a very good cause, for Lucas's safety, so I'm _sure_ his parents will be _completely_ fine with it —

"CLAUS! WHAT'S THIS ABOUT A SUSPENSION?!"

_Or_ , maybe _not_.

With a roll of his eyes, Claus ran down the stairs to see both of his parents waiting for him, his mother with a worried look on her face, and his father with a rather angry one.

Hinawa already knew about her son's suspension — she'd been at home, but Flint had just come home... and he'd just found out.

"Claus! You've been _suspended_... and during such an important year! Why?!"

"I got into a fight with Pokey."

With a heavy sigh, Flint sat down and motioned for Claus to join him.

"Claus... I know Pokey is... _Pokey_... but people like him are dime a _dozen_ in life. Sometimes you gotta know when to just... walk _away_."

"Dad, I _couldn't_ just walk _away_."

"What makes you say that?"

"Pokey was beating up _Lucas_. You think I was just gonna stand there, and watch him _strangle_ the life out of my _brother?!_ No! I'm the older brother! You said it's _my_ responsibility to take care of Lucas, and if that means getting into fights against assholes like Pokey, so be it!"

It was Hinawa who spoke up.

" _Language_ , Claus. And this letter says nothing about that."

"Yeah, course it _wouldn't_. There's a _'zero tolerance'_ policy, after all. They've gotta make everyone _equally_ responsible."

"Hm... is there anyone else who was there?"

"Lucas, obviously... but also Paula and Ninten — he got suspended as well."

"I'll phone them both, Flint. You've had a long day."

As Hinawa went off to their phone, Flint turned back to Claus.

"How much did you do to Pokey?"

"Enough."

Flint looked deep into his son's eyes for a few seconds, before seeing all that he needed to.

"If that's the case... I can't say I'm not proud of you then..."

He thought about it for a few minutes, before Hinawa returned.

"Well, Hinawa?"

"Both of them support what he's saying. Oh, and Claus, Paula sends her thanks. She's _very_ grateful apparently."

"Well... this makes things more interesting, doesn't it? What do you think, Hinawa?"

"Claus... you know violence is not the ideal solution to anything. And you know you should never try to escalate things further than needed. But... I think we can _both_ agree that what you did was... understandable. I think in light of that... some _leniency_ is needed on our part."

"So... starting next Monday, you're grounded for 5 days but your friends are free to visit during that time. Sound fair?"

"Yeah."

"Hinawa, do you disagree?"

"Not at all."

"Right, that's all then. Actually, Claus, do you mind taking my coat upstairs?"

"Sure."

With that, Claus ran back up the stairs, depositing his father's coat, before running back to the bedroom he shared with Lucas.

Lucas himself was sitting on his bed, reading one of his books... 'Legends of PSI.'

It didn't really surprise Claus to see Lucas reading something like this — Lucas always had a particular fascination for mythology.

I don't blame him — a lot of it is actually _really_ interesting!

"Hey... so, how bad was it?"

"Honestly? Not that bad at all. Mom and Dad are just grounding me for the week of school I'm being suspended for. And people can still come over and all."

"Hey, that's not so bad then! I thought you'd be in _major_ trouble."

"Yeah, me too! I think they were softer since Pokey _was_ hurting you. But anyway... what are you doin'?"

"Just some reading..."

"Lucas, it's the _weekend!_ You don't have to study!

"I know... but I like reading about this stuff."

"No! No _studying!_ You need to learn how to have _fun_. Besides, it makes me feel bad when you study and I _don't_... so, _no_ books!"

Before Lucas could react, Claus snatched his book and tossed it aside.

"Hey, I was reading that!"

"And now we're gonna do something different!"

"And what exactly are we going to do? Play a game?"

"Yeah, why not! What game then..."

"I dunno... Monopoly?"

"Eh, takes too long... let's see... ah! Lucas, I've got it! I challenge you... to the _ultimate_ game!"

" _No_... are you _sure_ about this, Claus?"

"Nope, not at all — and that's exactly why I'm doing it!"  
  


"But seriously... we could _still_ be here for a _very_ long time..."

"What's wrong, Lucas? You're not... _scared_ , are you?"

"Oh... it's _on_ , Claus!"

"I was _hoping_ you'd say that. In any case, Lucas... I challenge you..."

"To the _ultimate_ game."

The two brothers looked into each other's eyes with fierce determination engraved in them, before they both spoke in unison.

_"Dance Dance Revolution."_

You know... I've seen many things in life. I've seen a turtle swim all the way from Scaraba to _Deep Darkness_. I've seen a _sunset_ happen at the _same_ time as an _solar eclipse._ I've even seen a _pumpkin_ shaped like a _UFO_ that weighed over a _ton_.

But _none_ of that could have prepared me for what I was just witnessing — the sight of two _16_ year olds engaged in the most intense competition... _of Dance Dance Revolution!_

"Give it up, Lucas! You can't win! I'm the _king_ of DDR!"

"Never! I am the DDR _master_ , and I will out dance you!"

No, seriously, how are you two _not_ exhausted yet?! You've been at this for... _two hours!_ And you're picking all the _hardest_ songs as well!

"I suppose we're just _really_ energetic, Narrator! I remember how Mom would tell us all about how much we kept her and Dad up all night when we were children!"

Yes, I can _certainly_ see why that would be the case.

Either way, the twins continued their competition — though not without some attempted sabotage on both sides. I must say, I've never seen anyone do the _Cossack_ just so they can _kick_ their opponent while getting to another space.

Eventually, after their legs _finally_ gave up on them, they decided to call it quits.

"I... I guess it's... it's a draw then..."

"Yeah, I... I suppose so... but next time... next time, you won't be so... lucky..."

With a groan of pain, the twins collapsed onto their beds, _exhausted_ from their session.

"So, Lucas... I forget to ask... did anything interesting happen, after I got suspended?"

"Not much... Paula and I had to go and see Nurse Rama..."

"So did I! He asked me if I could possibly explain why Pokey had a bunch of burn marks and some hexagon shaped marks in him if only Ninten and me were fighting Porky, but don't worry, I covered for Paula and you!"

"Oh? What did you say?"

"Well, I, being the _genius_ that I am, said that the burn marks were caused by me using PK Thunder and that the hexagon marks were caused by me kicking him. It must have been good since he didn't even _question_ it!"

Lucas inwardly chuckled to himself, knowing exactly _why_ Nurse Rama accepted it so easily.

_"I can tell him another day... for now, I'll just let him have his moment."_

"Well, _thank_ you, Claus. I'm _very_ grateful."

  
  


Lucas immediately took the opportunity to hug his brother as much as he could.

"Hey! Get off of me!"

"Nope! I'm gonna hug you so much that you'll _burst_ with _love!"_

"Oh no..."

And so Claus found himself trapped in Lucas's incredibly strong grip of love, until Lucas decided to grant his brother mercy and release him.

"You really love your hugs, don't you? But I think your _boyfriend_ will appreciate your efforts more than me."

As Claus predicted, the use of the word _'boyfriend'_ caused the usual symptoms in Lucas — an intense blush, a voice that went up about an octave and a _whole_ lot of stammering.

"Ness... he, _he_ , he _isn't_ , my, my—"

"Calm down, Lucas. I know he isn't your boyfriend... or _is_ he? Did anything change while I was gone?"

"No... nothing really —"

"Lies! Tell me! What happened?"

  
  


Lucas sighed and resigned himself to his fate, knowing that he wouldn't be free until he'd satisfied Claus, so he may as well give him the truth.  
  


"Fine... so, after school finished, I met back up with Ness and we went to get his bat. Saw Duster along the way and I chatted a little to him. And then, we passed by his office. Guess _what_ happened, _Claus?"_

  
  


Claus's face went a ghostly white, having already guessed almost exactly what happened, and now the tables had turned.

  
  


"Well, Lucas, to tell you the truth, I have _no_ idea —"

"Well, let me _tell_ you. Duster was trying to open his office, but for some reason, he was _really_ struggling to open it."

"Oh... I wonder why that was..."

"I was wondering that as _well_. And then, Duster was _finally_ able to open it. But guess what happened _next_ , Claus? When Duster opened it, hundreds upon _hundreds_ of balls all started tumbling _out_ of it. Where on _Earth_ could all those have _come_ from?"

"Hm, a question for the ages, Lucas."

"Claus! I _know_ it was you! Admit it!"

"Okay, fine! It was me. And Ninten. But, in my defence, I _did_ tell you _not_ to go near Duster's office at the end of the day. So... what happened?!"  
  


Claus looked at Lucas with excitement plastered over his smug face — yep, the tables had turned once more, and now _Lucas_ was the one who was incredibly nervous.

  
  


"The balls started rolling down, and everyone started running and trying to take cover..."  
  


"And did you and Ness manage to find cover?"

"Yeah, we did."

"In a classroom?"

"... not quite..."

"Oh? Then where?"

  
  


Lucas started fiddling with his hands for a bit before a blush slowly made its way onto his face, which Claus quickly noticed.

"Ooooh, he's blushing! I think we're about to get some _interesting_ stories! So, Lucas, _answer the question_ — where did you and Ness take cover?"  
  


"... in a broom cupboard..."

Claus immediately started cheering and wolf whistled for his brother as obnoxiously as he could — which is to say, _pretty_ obnoxiously.

" _Daaamn_ , Lucas! Look at you going from 0 to 100 in no time flat! Getting into a cupboard with your crush... I didn't think you had in you! _Soooo_... what did you and Ness get up to in a cupboard... _alone?"_

Lucas started spluttering at that.

"What, _what_ , what are you talking about?!"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, little Lucas! Something happened inside of there and I'm gonna find out _what_... it's only a matter of _when_. So, what kind of rating are we talking here? PG? Teen?"

Lucas didn't answer so Claus went on.

"What... _R?"_

No answer.

"No _way_... _Mature?!"_

"What?! No! _NO!_ What do you _think_ happened?"

"Honestly, Lucas? Given your mind, _literally anything."_

"Well, we didn't get up to anything like _that!_ Besides, even if there was even a slither of a chance of something like that happening, I would have managed to cock it up anyway...

"Or rather, there wouldn't _be_ any _'cock up'_ , if you catch my drift..."

" _CLAUS!_ Oh my _god..."_

Claus collapsed onto his bed, his sides bursting with laughter.

"Oh, come on, _that_ was good! Lucas... _never_ change. But continue."

"Well, Ness and I had to wait in there... so we started talking."

"Ah, some dirty talk, good way of starting things off."

"Is this what your mind is like? How on _Earth_ are you my brother?"

"I think we're fairly _similar_ in terms of what goes on up here, Lucas, when taking your _diary_ into account. The only difference is that I'm not afraid to _say_ it."

"Urgh... _moving on_ , it was a bit cramped in there, so Ness and I had to stick to a corner... and... I decided to take some of _your_ advice."

" _That's_ a first... but which one exactly?"

"... the one about trying to get close to Ness and seeing if he reacts any differently..."

"Oh, I like where this is going."

"... I tried to get a little bit closer to Ness... but eventually he noticed what I was doing. So I made something up."

"What did you say?"

"I said I was a little cold —"

But Lucas was instructed by his brother's raucous laughter.

"Oh my God! You said you were _cold?!"_

"Yeah... what's wrong with that?"

"Lucas... you couldn't have come up with _anything_ better?! Cuddling up to your crush, because you're _'cold'?_ That's like the _oldest_ trick in the _book!"_

"But, but... I was actually kinda cold..."

"Maybe, but if Ness has even half a brain cell, he'll have figured it out... but then _again_ , Ness is pretty dumb when it comes to things like this. Wow, you two really _are_ a match made in heaven."

"Is this just gonna be me telling you stuff and then you making fun of me?"

"Lucas, that's what _all_ of our conversations come down to. And I see no reason to break tradition. Continue!"

" _Fine_... so I got close to Ness, and we started talking a bit more... about _Paula_..."

"Oooooh... talking about your crush's girlfriend is _quite_ the libido killer... but go on..."

"He said that he and Paula were going on a date tomorrow... to the Twoson Mall at 1:30... but Ness said he was a little concerned, because their relationship was a bit rocky — see, they haven't seen each other much during the last month, and Ness thought Paula was ignoring him. Actually, Paula was telling me in History about Ness. She told me about some... _annoying_ habits of his."

"Oh my god, this is _perfect!_ That was your chance then! They screwed up, and that gave you an opportunity to get Ness!"

"Yes..."

"And all you had to do was say something to give Ness and Paula that push, right?! Like 'hey, Paula's doesn't deserve someone as great as you then!', or 'with all those annoying things, I'm impressed you're still with Ness!'. So what _did_ you say to them?"

  
  


"I... I told Paula that she should bring it up on her date... and I told Ness that he should have more faith in his relationship... which caused _both_ of them to become _more_ secure in their relationship..."

For a minute, Claus just sat there, with his mouth open in pure _bewilderment_ , just trying to comprehend what Lucas had just told him, before finally responding.

"Lucas."

"Yes..."

"... how the _HELL_ did you manage to screw _THAT_ up?! You mean to tell me that you had Ness and Paula _both_ equally _doubtful_ in the other... and you somehow drove them _CLOSER_ together?!"

But there was no reply from Lucas, just an anguished _moan_ muffled by the bed, followed Lucas _furiously_ pounding his head in with his pillows.

"Wow. I'm _actually_ impressed. You _somehow_ managed to screw up the screw up. Incredible..."

"I... I just _can't!_ I can't _knowingly_ try and sabotage Ness and Paula's relationship! It... it just doesn't work!"

"Hm... sabotage isn't your thing, is it? You know, Ness and Paula are going on their date tomorrow... I was going to suggest trying to sabotage that. But, you can't..."

"No... I can't knowingly do something like that."

"But, hypothetically, if something went wrong on Ness and Paula's date tomorrow, you would be happy with that, right?"

"Well... _hypothetically_... I guess I would?"

"And, hypothetically, if you had _no_ involvement whatsoever, you wouldn't have any guilt, would you?"

"No... I don't think so..."

"Okay, so after you fucked that one up, what happened?"

"Nothing much... we didn't hear any more balls, and so the two of us left the cupboard."

"Wait... you left the cupboard? And Ness came _with_ you?"

"Yeah..."

"So, I guess you could say that Ness —"

"Oh no, _don't_ you say it —"

  
  


"Came _out_ of the _closet!_ AHAHAHAHA!"

Amongst Claus's laughter, Lucas simply groaned and buried his face in his hands.

  
  


"Narrator... can you _please_ kill Claus?"

Oh, _believe_ me when I say I'd _love_ to, Lucas... but I _can't._

"You can't kill _one_ human?"

Oh no, I can kill _humans_. I just can't kill _Claus_.

  
  


"What?! Why not?!"

"Lucas, it's _clearly_ because _I_ am a _supreme_ being above _all_ others who is _so_ powerful that even the _Narrator_ can't hurt m—"

PK Starstorm.

"What?! OH _SHIT!_ ARGHHHHHHHHH!"

And as hundreds of fragmented stars bombarded Claus, I felt a certain sense of _joy_ swell through my heart. How _nice._

_Claus got hurt and collapsed..._

"... is he _dead?"_

Nah, again, I _can't_ kill Claus. I can cause grievous _injuries_ to him, but I can't _kill_ him.

"But why? Claus isn't right... is he?"

No, it _isn't_ that I'm not powerful enough — because I most certainly _am_. It's... a _different_ matter altogether...

"Alright... gotta say, impressive job hitting _only_ Claus and _not_ the rest of the room."

Thanks — it took me a good thousand or so years of practice to get that good at it.

"Huh. _Wow_. So... do you just know _every_ single piece of PSI then?"

... actually... _no_... for all that I can do, there were always three pieces of PSI that I could never manage to learn... one of them was PSI Rockin.

"As in... Ness's?"

Yeah, _that_ one. Using it requires perseverance, determination and a rather _large_ strength of will from the user... and given my preferred method of dealing with issues in life, I don't think perseverance and determination are qualities that are very _abundant_ in me.

The second one is one you'll be very familiar with, Lucas — PK Love.

"What, don't tell me you can't use it because you're incapable of loving?"

...well...

"You can't... love?"

... pretty much. I've... lived for so long that I'm simply _incapable_ of making emotional attachments to people. Well... no, that's not _entirely_ true — I _am_ capable of forming emotional attachments to people but they simply aren't anywhere _near_ strong enough to qualify as _love._

  
  


I'm an immortal deity that's lived for an amount of time that would be _incomprehensible_ to you... and I lost any family I had a _long_ time ago myself. Love is simply an emotion that's _long_ lost to me... I can see it, I can _create_ it... but I can't _feel_ it.

"That's... that's so sad... to not have anyone you can love..."

Nah, it's alright. I've learned to live with it. And besides, I _chose_ this path... I've only _myself_ to blame. But as you can imagine, that makes using PK Love outright impossible for me.

"So that's two... what about the third?"

The _third... well..._ that's one best saved for a rainy day, I think... it's a bit of a _crazy_ one...

  
  


Besides, I should probably bring this _idiot_ back before he dies for _real..._

_The Narrator tried PSI Healing Omega! Claus made a comeback!_

  
  


" _Urgh_... why do I feel like I've had _too_ much of that Saturn Coffee... _urgh..."_

And hello to you as well, Claus.

"Urgh... did you just use PK _Starstorm_ on me?!"

Yep. You should feel honoured — I only use that like once in every _5000_ years! Damn, now I kinda feel bad for wasting it on you...

"Thank you... I'm just gonna pretend that never _happened_... so, Lucas, anything else happen with Ness?"

"No... actually, _yeah_... Ness hugged me when he left for his house."

"He hugged you? That doesn't seem like the most interesting thing..."

"Oh? And when's the last time Ninten's hugged _you?"_

"... fair enough, you got me there. But Ness does hug you more than the average pair of friends _does."_

"True... but this one felt _different_. Like... like I could _feel_ something between us, even though we didn't know what it was..."

"Hm... interesting... you know, from what you’ve told me, there _might_ be something there."

"You think?"

"I really do — Ness never outright put you down... he’s actually kinda led you _on_... . damn, never would pegged Ness as bi..."

"You didn't see me coming out as bi either."

"No, you're right. But I still _love_ you all the same!"

And with that, Claus _dived_ on top of his brother and started burying his brother under mounds of pillows, with Lucas giggling and trying to escape, initiating a pillow fight that lasted until they had to stop for dinner.

Dinner was a simple affair — but it was always a nice one for the family. It was a time for them all to be together, and forget the woes of the day. It was simply a time where they could feel at peace, because they were with people that _loved_ them, unconditionally _loved_ them. How... _nice.  
  
_

The twins brushed their teeth — yeah, _definitely_ didn't do enough of that as a child, before going to sleep... at _9:30..._

Damn, these two have some _really_ good sleep schedules... fuck knows I _didn't._

I don't _care_ what anyone says, staying up all night to play 1000 rounds of Super Bash Bros was worth it! How _else_ was I supposed to unlock Giygas? By playing it with my _friends?_

  
  


Haa... well... wait a minute... I _could_ have just played it with my friends, couldn't I? And then, I _wouldn't_ haven't fallen asleep in that Physics exam...

  
  


Son of a _bitch..._

The next morning, the twins awoke to a sunny day. After having breakfast, Claus took the opportunity to start practicing guitar — he was working on a tricky song at the moment... _Fate_ , I believe.

Although Lucas certainly loved to hear his brother practice, he did sometimes get tired of it, so he chose to leave the house, as he had planned to.

"Lucas, where are you going?"

"To the Sunflower Fields, Mom!"

"Stay safe, okay?"

"I will!"

And after petting Boney, Lucas started running across Onett to the Sunflower Fields — they were located between Tazmily and Onett, but closer to the latter. It only took about 20 minutes for Lucas to get there.

The Sunflower Fields were a rather interesting sight... columns of sunflowers all stretched out as far as the eye could see, with the sun shining on them. It was perhaps the only place, aside from home, where Lucas felt truly at peace.

When Lucas arrived, he simply lay down among them. He just rested there, taking in all he could see.

  
  


And then, he got to work.

Lucas has an interesting hobby of sorts — he likes to pick some of the sunflowers and then take them home to make things from them. Yeah, it's the kind of things you might associate with a _6_ year old... but Lucas has been doing this for _10 years._

  
  


That's some dedication right there.

So, Lucas went and picked a sunflower... and another... and another... and _another_... and — holy _crap_ , this is _boring!_

I'm sorry, I love Lucas, or rather, I have an attachment to him, seeing as I'm _incapable_ of feeling love, but this is so _boring!_

There's _gotta_ be someone else more interesting I can watch... huh, what about Claus? He always gets up to some dumb shit.  
  


Claus was still at home, playing his guitar.

"1,2.. 1,2,3... 1,2,3... 1,2..."

  
  


It's _'1,2... 1,2,3... 1,2,3,4... 1,2,'_ Claus.

  
  


"What? Is it... it is! Wow... that explains a _lot_... thanks! Wait... _why_ are you here?"  
  


I got bored watching Lucas pick sunflowers. It's not very _amusing_. _Amuse_ me, Claus.

"Or _what?"_

Or I'll _blast_ you with Starstorm _again_. And that'll probably be amusing to me.

"Okay, okay. Actually, wait... Lucas is picking sunflowers, right?"

Yeah...

"Oh, that's perfect. Time to put the plan into motion."

With that, Claus ran down the stairs and made a call, to none other than Ninten.

"Hey, Ninten, it's time."

"For that?"

"Yeah, for _that_. Lucas is gone, and he won't be back until the evening, which gives us the _perfect_ chance to help him."

"So... see at you at mine then?"

"Yeah. And get the make up ready."

"Really? You think you'll need _that?"_

"Hey, you can't be _too_ careful!"

"Alright. One thing... are you _sure_ this is the right thing to do?"

"For Lucas? _Yeah_. Anyway, see you."

And so, Claus left his house, heading to the southern parts of Onett, where Ninten lived.

In the _northern_ parts of Onett however, a different 16 year old was dealing with his _own_ slew of issues though, that being his attempts to overcome one of the _strongest_ forces in the _universe_... the love of a mother for her child.

"I hope it doesn't rain today... the forecast said it might."

"Mom, it's not gonna rain! There's not a cloud in the sky!"

"You say that now, but you'll be singing a different tune when you and Paula get caught in a shower together! Take your coat."

"Fine..."

"Oh, and take these."

Ness's mother threw him a box, which Ness caught, almost dropping it when he saw when it was.

" _MOM!_ SERIOUSLY?!"

"Protection is very serious, young man, and I don't want any grandchildren _yet_... _maybe_ in 10 years. But, no sex before marriage anyway!"

"Then why the _hell_ are you giving me _these?!"_

"You never know _what_ 16 year olds can get up to these days...”

"Mom, _nothing_ like that is going to happen."

"She's a very pretty girl, Ness. It's only natural. Your father and I had _fun_ in our day...”

"I... I am _not_ having this conversation with you... goodbye!"

And before his mother could stop him, Ness left the house as fast he possibly could.

"Ness, wait! He forget his _coat_..."

The raven haired psychic was actually heading in the same direction as Claus was — to the south of Onett, although their destinations were different, seeing as Ness was heading to the Polestar Preschool in Twoson.

See, Paula's family ran a preschool, which also doubled as a daycare on weekends and holidays.

Here's a fun fact about the name: it was named after Paula's _mother_ who founded it — at the time it was founded, she was _not_ married and still had her maiden name of _Polestar_. The name stuck even after she got married, both to preserve its history... _and_ for alliteration.

Anyway, on weekdays, Paula was obviously at school herself, but on weekends and holidays, she would often help her parents out with looking after the children, and she _certainly_ did a _very_ good job at it — the children _adored_ her as much as she did them.

Today was no exception to that rule, which is why Ness was heading there, as opposed to her house.

When Ness arrived there, he gave a perfunctory knock on the door, before he was answered by Paula's mother.

"Ah, Ness! Lovely to see you!"

"Hi, Mrs Jones. I'm here for my date with Paula."

"Ooh, so _formal!_ Yes, she's ready and waiting for you in the art room... you know where it is, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Good. I'd go there with you but I'm rather busy today... you can make your way there yourself, right?"

"Yeah, of course!"

Mrs Jones turned around and headed inside, which Ness took as his cue to enter.

The Polestar Preschool was... again, I'd _say_ _'like any other preschool'_ , but, once again, I _can't_.

But either way, the walls were a rather warm shade of pink and yellow, with all sorts of drawings from the various children covering them.

They were everyday things, like cars, fields, buildings, the sky — but Ness did notice and smile upon seeing one _particular_ drawing of a somewhat chubby black haired boy with a blue and yellow striped shirt alongside a short blond haired girl wearing a pink dress.

_"The proportions could use some work... I swear I'm not that fat! But I like it!"_

Incidentally, Ness himself wasn't wearing his traditional attire (if you can _call_ a shirt and pants _that_ ) — rather, he was wearing a blue shirt along with some black... _trousers_...

Huh, I'm surprised that the space - time continuum hasn't completely _shattered_ from the fact that Ness isn't wearing _shorts_... actually, let me _check_ that... okay, it's still intact. Crisis averted.

As Ness made his way through the school, he saw some of the children, who recognised him and waved — as you might imagine, Ness was a frequent visitor here.

Eventually, after rounding a few corners, he reached Paula.

The blonde psychic was busy monitoring ten or so of the children do some finger painting — the hard part being to make sure they _only_ painted the _paper_ , and _not_ the rest of the room.

With a rap on the door, Paula spun around, smiling when she saw her boyfriend.

"Ness!"

Paula ran to Ness, giving him perhaps the most forceful hug he'd ever received — despite her smaller statue and size, she really did pack a _lot_ of force in her hugs, enough to rival _Lucas's._

Of course, Ness _gladly_ returned it, realising just how _much_ he'd missed her over the past month. The young couple stayed like that for quite some time, until they heard some giggling behind them, becoming acutely aware that they were being watched.

With a blush on their faces, the two psychics disengaged from each other.

"Kids, I'm going to leave now, so be good. My mother will be here soon. Any questions?"

One of the children raised their hands. Paula knew she was going to regret this, but she let them ask anyway.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving with Ness."

This in turn provoked a number of other questions from the children.

"Are you and Ness going to get married?!"

Predictably, this sent both of the psychics into blushing messes, particularly Ness, much to the children's amusement, who all started giggling at the expense of the two.

Paula recovered faster than Ness did. While she normally would admonish the children for such comments, she decided to have a little fun _herself_.

"Well, honestly, I can't tell you the answer to that. Would _you_ like to give them a date, Ness?"

"Ah! Um... well... I, er... I..."

Cue another burst of laughter from the children, with Paula joining them.

"Okay, I'm going out with Ness."

"Going out? What does that mean?"

"It's when two grown ups go behind buildings and kiss each other!"

Well... that's not _completely_ inaccurate.

"No, it's when two grown ups make a baby! The boy makes a girl a giant meal, and the girl gets _really_ big, and the baby _bursts_ out of her!"

Again... not _completely_ inaccurate.

"No! In order to make a baby, a man and a women _fuse_ together into this _superhuman_ , but it only lasts for a limited time! And when they divide back, they get a baby, and it has _both_ of their powers!"

Yeah... that's _still_ not _completely_ inaccurate — how on Earth are they actually kinda right in this _completely_ nonsensical way?!

"No, a man and a women have to do the magical dance to summon the Magic Saturn! And then the Magic Saturn sees if they're good enough to have a baby, and if they are, they get one!"

Okay, that's _much_ better — they're _completely_ wrong. Ah, the innocence of children... it really is a wonder. It's a shame that some lose it far too quickly...

The children continued their argument, so engrossed in it, that they didn't notice that Ness and Paula had taken the opportunity to slip away from the classroom and make their way out.

"Sorry about that, Ness. They can be a handful."

"Nah, it's alright. Although... I'm gonna have to get back at you for that joke!"

"Oh, you better not have a date planned — my dad would _freak!"_

Indeed, he would — Mr Jones was _very_ protective of his 'little girl', being his only child, and he was rather strict about his daughter dating throughout most of her life, though once high school started, he did loosen up a little.

In truth, Ness was _scared_ of the man — an untold horror would likely await him if he ever did _anything_ to harm his little girl.

Still, he had good intentions and Paula won't forget one particular piece of dating advice that he had given her that she found _very_ useful.

_"Paula, if a boy really likes you, he should be brave enough to admit it, but afraid enough to embarrass himself. He should worry that's he's not good enough for you. He should be afraid to make a fool out of himself and most of all, he should make a fool out of himself."_

So, naturally, when Ness asked her out on their first date, _incredibly_ nervous, blushing _so_ hard that one might have assumed he was a _post box_ and stuttering _so_ much that he _barely_ managed to get the whole sentence out, Paula _knew_ she'd found the right person.

And hey, they'd been together for over a year, which is more than I can say about most high school couples, so that certainly says something.

"Oh, I don't wanna push my luck any further with your dad than I have to... honestly, I'm surprised I didn't melt on the spot when he found out we were dating!"

"Oh, he's not _that_ bad! You know, he actually kinda likes you."

" _Really._ You could have fooled me."

"He does! He's just not the best at showing it. But he's really glad I'm dating someone like you... and I am as well."

Ness leaned in to kiss his girlfriend, but with a finger on his lips, Paula held him back.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not in school, Ness."

With an adorable pout of his, Ness started sulking.

"Ohhh... that's not fair! You can't say things like that and expect me _not_ to!"

_"Oh... I'll make it up to you later."_

There was a tone in her thoughts that made Ness rather _nervous_ — and the flirtatious wink Paula gave him didn't help matters either.

With his nerves somewhat rattled, Ness headed out of the preschool with Paula, the two of them heading to the shopping mall.

"So, Ness... I see you've dressed up for the occasion."

"What? Oh yeah, a baseball shirt and shorts won't work for every situation, will they? I thought I'd try something new..."

"It suits you! I think it's a nice look for you!"

"Really... I thought you liked my usual set of attire?"

"Well... I do... but you do look really handsome! It's an interesting look, and with winter coming, _surely_ you wouldn't want to wear _shorts?"_

_"Haha... wow, you were right after all, Lucas... thank you so much!"_

"No, of course not. And thank you... I like your dress as well!"

Ah yes, Paula wasn't wearing her usual pink dress today either — instead she'd opted for a different look, having a white top with a pink skirt adorned with faint poke dots, and had tied her ribbon in such a way that let more of her hair flow.

"Thank you! I think I'll try it more often then!"

And so the two continued until they reached the Twoson Mall. It was one of the largest shopping malls in the world — up there with one in Fourside, and another in Summers. There were many different kinds of shops — you know, for clothes, food, home accessories and repairing machines.

However, Ness and Paula merely spent their time perusing the various items, although the two were mostly just window shopping for fun — they got kicked out of quite a few for making funny faces next to the windows.

On a whim, they decided to go a toy shop, which actually turned out to be a rather good move on Ness's part, because he found a really nice catcher's mitt on sale for only $40 — worked out well, since he'd brought $60 in case he saw anything he liked.

When Ness picked it up, he started looking around for Paula, but he couldn't see her anywhere. However, he _did_ notice a teddy bear on a shelf that had some blond hair sticking out behind and seemed to be giggling a lot.

As Ness approached it, it started to speak in a rather high voice.

"Hello, Mr Ness. I'm a teddy bear."

"Well, hello there, Mr Teddy Bear, what can I do you?"

"Well, it's not what you can do for me, it's what I can do for you! I can make you _really_ happy, and keep you safe at night."

"Hm... you make an interesting argument. Go on."

"I can protect you from all sorts of monsters, and I'm super cuddly and warm!"

_"Woah,_ you're going a _little_ fast there. I mean, I have a girlfriend, and I _wouldn't_ trade her for _anything_."

"Oh? What's so great about your girlfriend?"

"Well... I think a better question is, what _isn't?_ She's _really_ pretty, she's incredibly _kind_ , she's a _joy_ to be around with, she's _wonderful_ with children, she's _great_ to cuddle with and most of all, she _never_ fails to make me smile. I wouldn't give that up for _anything_ in the world."

For a moment, there was no reply, until a moment later where Paula slowly raised her head, a tear brimming in her eye.

_"Ness... I... I... do you... do you mean..."_

_"Every word, Paula."_

Paula smiled at Ness, gently kissing him.

"I'm sorry... I'm getting really emotional... I've just been stressed... _everything_ recently."

_"Don't_ be sorry. I... I think you take on too much by yourself. And you can't hope to help others, if you can't help yourself."

"Maybe... but so many people need me. The children, and the people I study with."

"Well... why don't you stop helping out at the preschool... or at least less often? Maybe, you could only do it on the holidays — I'm _sure_ your parents wouldn't mind!"

"You know... that's not a bad idea... you really _do_ come up with some good ideas sometimes!"

"Why does everyone sound so surprised when saying that?!"

"Everyone?"

"Yeah, Lucas as well..."

"Well... he's not _wrong..."_

_"That's_ just rubbing salt in."

"Maybe. But, sometimes you can be a bit of a mess. An _adorable_ mess, but a mess nonetheless."

"Gee, _thanks..."_

"But you're _my_ adorable mess. And I wouldn't give that for _anything_ in the world."

And after Ness got over _his_ fit of embarrassment, and Paula got over her fit of giggles, Ness remembered the teddy bear.

"You know, I think that teddy bear suits you rather well!"

"Really? I'll have to remember to buy it another time."

"Another time?"

"Yeah... I... didn't bring enough money for buying anything extra with me."

_"How much is this... $35?! Geez, these bears must be really well made... well..."_

"Then, I'll buy it for you!"

"Ness, you don't have to —"

"Maybe not. But I _want_ to."

And before Paula could stop him, Ness took the bear to a till and bought the bear.

"Ness, seriously, you didn't have to! It was really expensive... and didn't you have your eye on that catcher's mitt?"

"Well, I'll buy it another time. And besides, I'd say it was more than worth it! Watch this!"

Ness put the teddy bear back on a shelf, waiting for some kids to go past it. When they did, Ness used his psychic powers to levitate the teddy and —

_"Oooooooo..._ I am the Teddy Bear of Wrath... give me all your toys... or I will haunt you _forever!"_

"AHHHH! IT'S ALIVE! RUN!"

The kids immediately scattered, leaving the two psychics laughing so hard they were in _stitches_. Ness handed the teddy bear to Paula with a smile.

"You see, Paula? He's worth every penny."

"Ness... thank you..."

The psychic couple made their way hand in hand out out of the toy store, and to where they intended to go along — the 'play' area.

I suppose that warrants some clarification — the Twoson Mall has an area that's half games, and half food court. It had a bowling allay, some bumper cars, among some things like a burger joint and a bakery.

It was a place that teens commonly frequented — it was made specifically for their demographic, and the two decided to have a little fun there.

However, unbeknownst to them, but knownst to _me_ , a certain figure was watching them, and had _other_ plans for their date...

Ness and Paula decided to do a little bowling first — first agreeing that they _wouldn't_ use their psychic powers. Despite this, Paula still won rather easily — she had excellent aim and easily wiped the floor with Ness, scoring multiple strikes. Still, they both had plenty of fun.

Afterwards, the two decided to grab a bite to eat at one of the burger joints — not the most romantic place, but it didn't matter to them in the slightest.

"So, this has been fun."

"It really has, Ness. I... I missed you a lot. We haven't see each other much recently."

"Yeah... you might think this sounds silly, but I was a little worried about us... how things didn't seem... _stable_. I was worried that maybe, things would have changed."

"I don't think it's silly at all. In truth... I worried about that as well. But... I'm glad that things haven't changed between us."

"Me too. Actually, now that I think about, I'm gonna have to thank Lucas for this."

"Oh? How come?"

"He actually made me more secure in us... he really knows exactly what to say!"

"He does! He actually helped me out as well!"

"Wow... we really are lucky to have someone as great as him for a friend!"

However, at _another_ table, a figure watched the two, bashing their fist on their table.

_"It was just as bad as he said... maybe even worse!"_

They watched the couple carefully, waiting for an opening. It took some time, but they got one when Ness briefly left the table to go to the bathroom.

_"Good... but I need to make sure Ness is here as well."_

When Ness re-emerged from the bathroom, the figure knew it was time.

_"Perfect... let's go."_

The figure moved towards Paula, who was using her phone, but she looked up upon noticing someone beside her.

It was a boy, she'd wager around her age, standing before her with a bit of a cocky smile on his face. He exhibited with an aura of confidence, one that Paula found familiar. In fact, this person looked a bit like someone she thought she knew, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Hello... can I help you?"

The boy smiled and sat down where Ness once was.

"It's not often a person sees a pretty girl like yourself alone. What brings you here?"

"Well... I'm just waiting for someone."

"Aren't we all? Aren't we _all_ just waiting for that _special_ someone?"

_"Oh my God... this guy's trying to flirt with me..."_

"I... suppose we all are."

"You don't seem very certain in that. There's still something missing, isn't there? A tiny speck of uncertainty that steals into your bright day. But what if you could be happier?"

"Oh, I think I'm very happy."

"But what if you could be _happier?_ Two people are _always_ happier than one."

"I'd agree with you... and thank you for your offer, but... I have already have a boyfriend."

"Oh, you do? Well, you sure you haven't got room for another?"

Meanwhile, Paula was getting kinda creeped out.

_"What the HELL is this guy even suggesting?!"_

"I'm perfectly _fine_ with things right now."

"Oh, I bet your _boyfriend_ can't handle someone as good as _you_. You shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes your way, you know."

Now _Paula_ was _pissed._ How dare this guy _insinuate_ such things about Ness?!

" _Thank_ you for your offer, but I am _very_ happy with my boyfriend, and I would _appreciate_ it if you would _refrain_ from saying such things about him."

But before the boy could say anything else, he was interrupted by a different person — Ness had returned.

"Hey, Paula, everything alright? Oh... hello there."

"What are _you_ doing? Trying to cut ahead? Get in line, buddy."

"I'm sorry?"

"Didn't you hear me? Or are you just _deaf?_ I said, _get in line._ You can have your turn with her once _I'm_ done."

"I don't think you _understand_. _This_ is my boyfriend."

"What?"

The boy looked at Ness, and then Paula. He switched between looking at the two repeatedly, before bursting into laughter.

"HAHAHA! Oh my... this... _this_ is your boyfriend?! Oh... I am _so_ sorry... I know I told you about not accepting the first thing along your way... but this? _This?!_ My condolences to you, really, but to accept _this_... I'm afraid you've forfeited my _respect_."

Paula was just _livid_ now. She'd tried to maintain a modicum of calm and be polite with this guy, but that went _right_ out the window the moment he just insulted Ness _right_ to her _face_.

With anger _very_ clear on her face, Paula stood up, firing a full verbal salvo on this boy.

"Who do you think you _are?!_ I have tried to be polite with you, but apparently that seems to be lost on you, so why should _I_ bother? How _dare_ you waltz up here and insult _my_ boyfriend?!"

"It's not insulting if it's the _truth_. But I see that's lost on _you_. It's a shame — I _like_ pretty girls... but I can't _abide_ dumb blondes like you."

Ness had been fairly quiet during this situation, being rather clueless as to what had transpired when he'd gone. But he didn't need any context now — he wasn't just gonna let some _asshole_ insult Paula like that!

"Hey! Who the _fuck_ do you think you are?!"

"Ooh, he speaks! Look at this guy trying to act all _big_ and mighty!"

The boy shoved Ness away from himself, sending him back about a foot. He ran towards Ness and kicked him in the shin.

Ness retaliated in kind — by kicking him back, though it did less to the boy, since Ness's legs weren't exactly the strongest.

"Haha! Is that all you got?!"

"Oh, I'll show what I've got!"

And with all the strength and anger Ness could muster, he _punched_ the boy in the stomach so hard, that the boy was sent _reeling_. He clutched his stomach before staggering, falling to the ground in pain.

"Argh...argh... stop!"

He was defenceless now. Not even a _threat_ anymore. But Ness wasn't content with just _that._

_No._

He _could_ have let this person just _walk_ or, _he_ could have just walked. And perhaps, if the circumstances were _different_ , maybe he _would_ have.

But they _weren't._

_Leaving?_ That wasn't _good_ enough for _him now._ This boy, _this person,_ thought it _right_ to deride _his_ Paula? Sweet _Paula_ , who was _pure_ and _all_ too _good_ for this _world?_ And this boy, _this waste of skin,_ has the _deluded_ mentality to think that Ness was just going to _stop?!_

Stop, after what _he_ just did to _Paula?!_

_There was **no** mercy for that._

With anger being pumped into his blood, Ness's eyes started to glow a deeper, _clearer_ purple, and _everything_ became... _clearer._ Oh _no..._

The energy of PSI Rockin pounded through his body, the melodies in his mind uniting together, all for the sole purpose of destroying, no, _obliterating_ this person before him.

Ness felt the power vibrating in his fingers, ready for _release_ , ready _for_ —

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?! NO FIGHTING IN THE MALL!"

During the little spat between the two, a security guard had spotted the two. Ness turned, looking at them... and _Paula_.

She was... _shocked_. She was _scared_. Scared of... _Ness_.

Ness's anger immediately vanished on the spot, realising exactly... well... he didn't _know_. He was... what _was_ he? He'd become so... _vengeful_... driven to destroy... and _he_ was scared as well.

"Both of you... _get_ outta here!"

And before they know it, both Ness and the boy were being escorted out the mall by a pair of security guards, with Paula following behind them.

They were forced out of the mall, and banned from reentering for the rest of the day.

The boy made his exit as quickly as he made his entrance — Ness turned to try and see the boy in question, but he was very quick. Before Ness knew it, he was gone.

"Damn it... we've been kicked out..."

"It's alright, Ness."

" _No!_ No... it isn't... I... I'm sorry... I... shouldn't have lost my temper like that... I _scared_ you... and now I've gotten us both kicked out."

"Oh, we were gonna get kicked out _anyway_ — if you hadn't punched that guy, I would have _slapped_ him myself."

"Still... I shouldn't have lost my temper in front of you like _that_... now I've screwed things up."

"Well, look on the bright side! If you've screwed things up, things can't possibly get any worse!"

But the divine hand of Fate had other plans and immediately _bitchslapped_ Paula in the face with a thunderclap, before rain started to pour down on the two.

"AH! Great, and I didn't bring my coat!"

"Shit, neither did I! Should've listened to Mom..."

"We need to get some shelter... my house isn't too far from here!"

And so, the two started sprinting as fast as they could to Paula's house, in the northern area of Twoson. Though they did their best, the rain was simply too heavy, and their clothes were already fully saturated with rain before they even got halfway. The two decided to stop running, seeing no point in wasting anymore energy when they couldn't get any wetter.

The dreary weather seemed to reflect rather heavily on Ness, who seemed rather glum and down from his 'failure'. Noticing this, Paula decided to take matters into her own hands and cheer Ness up herself.

With a mischievous glance at Ness, she walked up to a puddle and jumped in it, splashing water on herself _and_ Ness.

"PAULA! What are you _doing?!"_

Paula responded with a giggle. "Well, Ness, it's not like we can get any more wet! Why not have a little fun?"

She cupped her hands to collect some of the falling rain, before she threw it up at Ness, splashing him in his face.

"Well, if that's how you wanna play it... then prepare to be _splashed!"_

However, over at a different part of Twoson, a different _'couple'_ weren't having nearly so much fun — or to be more precise, _one_ of them wasn't.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck _FUCK!_ I can't believe he punched me in the _stomach!"_

"Neither can I! But, that was _hilarious! Easily_ the best thing I've seen this week, no, this _month!_ And I can't believe you did _all_ that! For Lucas!"

"What?! There isn't a thing I wouldn't do for him! And stop laughing! It's not funny!"

"Yeah... no... I'm afraid that it totally _is!_ In fact, you know how I had some doubts about this entire thing? Yeah, naw, this was _definitely_ worth helping out in!"

" _Fuck_ you, Ninten."

"Claus... I mean, I _accept_ you for who you are and all but _er_... I'm _not_ that _way."_

"Oh, for Christ's sake, can you just fucking _heal_ me already?!"

"Fine. PSI Lifeup."

The pain in Claus's stomach partially subsided at that, though he still felt the lingering impact of Ness's punch.

_"Thank you."_

"You're welcome... but tell me, what exactly have you accomplished? You got kicked out, and so did Ness and Paula."

"Yeah, exactly!"

"Wait... _that_ was your plan?!"

"Yeah!"

"How on Earth does this do anything you were hoping to?!"

"Simple. Ness and Paula were on a date there. But now, they've been kicked out because of Ness's actions. Now they're both left to skulk away, but it gets _better._ It's raining, and neither of them had coats, meaning they're both gonna get soaked, _ruining_ their date.

"And so...?"

"So, the combination of all those factors will make them _miserable_. And that creates _friction_ between the two."

"But it's raining... and rain tends to _lubricate_ things —"

"It's a _metaphor!_ Point is, we have disrupted the stability of their relationship, and now this gives Lucas more of a chance!"

"Ah... okay, you know what? That actually was pretty clever. And you're sure there's like no chance that this has helped them in anyway or something like that?"

"Ninten, they're walking home in the middle of a rainstorm. And who likes the _rain?"_

Me.

"Fair point. And you're _sure_ Lucas is okay with this?"

"He said that he'd love for their date to go wrong, _but_ he didn't want to do it himself, nor would he want to _know_ if something went wrong. And, he doesn't know a _thing_ about this."

"So, in theory then, Ness and Paula should be pretty _miserable_ right now..."

Yes, in _theory_ , they _should_. Most people would have _certainly_ preferred to spend their time _inside_ right now.

Heck, the _rainy_ weather even forced _birds_ to hide in _caves._

So, yes, _most_ people walking outside right now would have been rather _miserable..._

... unless, of course you happened to be a _certain_ 16 year old couple, who were laughing and giggling as _merry_ as can be, playing in the rain like a couple of _six_ year olds!

They jumped in every puddle they saw, and laughed at every particularly large drop that struck them on the head, walking hand in hand and singing songs together that were incredibly out of tune.

But they didn't _care._

They were a couple that was simply happy... perfectly happy... _perfectly happy..._

I... I, I... _I_ miss... I miss... _that_... I... _I want —_

_No._

You can't love. You _can't_ love. You can't... _love._

It's just... it's just an _attachment_. A _lingering_ sense of _desire_. But it doesn't mean _anything_.

PK Love Alpha.

You _see? Nothing._ You can't _do_ it.

It's not because you're not strong enough — because there are _humans_ that can use it as if it's second _nature._

It's _not_ because _I'm_ not _strong_ enough.

It's because _it's_ not _strong_ enough. And it will _never_ be strong enough.

But really... was it _ever?_

It doesn't matter. There's a _job_ to be done. And I won't _fail_... not _again._

Eventually, Ness and Paula made their way to Paula's house, entering. The difference in temperature and moisture was immediately felt by both of them, and they realised _just_ how wet and cold they both were.

"My... my goodness... perhaps we shouldn't have spent all that time in that shower of rain... now we'll both need _showers_ ourselves and you don't have any spare clothing, do you..."

"No... I don't..."

"You should take a shower first then."

"But it's your house!"

"Yes, and I'm _insisting_ as my _guest_ , that you take a shower first."

"Well... as your _boyfriend_ , I insist that _you_ take one first!"

"Oh, this could go on for a very long time..."

"We need some way of deciding it."

"Well, we could always take one _together."_

"WHAT? Well..."

"Something _wrong,_ Ness? Hey, it _would_ save on water."

"But... but..."

"Ness. I'm joking."

"Oh! _Ohhh_... that... that makes a lot more sense."

"So, how should we decide things then?"

"... we could play Stone, Sheet, Clippers..."

"Really? Well... I suppose it's as good a way as any. Loser has to shower first then?"

"Yep!"

The two agreed to best of three, and Ness ended up winning with a stone and a sheet on the first two rounds.

"I won! Which means you have to go first!"

_"Fine..."_

As Paula walked up the stairs, she turned back upon reaching the top.

"You know, the offer to share's still open..."

For a moment, Ness _briefly_ considered accepting her offer. But a moment later, he shook his head, leaving a pouting Paula to shower alone.

Ness huddled up by a radiator, hoping to warm himself up a little, despite knowing that it wouldn't help all that much while he was still _in_ his wet clothes.

Thankfully, Paula finished her shower fairly quickly and came back down — but not in her previous clothes. Instead, she'd changed into a pink nightgown of hers and taken the ribbon out of her hair, letting it down completely.

With a smile, she gestured towards the stairs to Ness, inviting him up, which Ness accepted.

"Oh, Ness?"

"Yeah?"

"Leave your clothes outside. I think I can dry them."

Ness made for the shower himself, enjoying the feel of the warm water on him.

When he finished, he looked outside, noticing that Paula had placed his clothes there herself. When he picked them up, he was surprised to find that they were completely dry — they were even warm to the touch!

He put them on and headed back downstairs, noticing Paula sitting on her couch, looking wistfully out into the rain.

"Something bothering you?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. It's just the rain... it's rather nice when you're not _under_ it. It's gentle and soothing, isn't it?"

"Yeah... makes you think, doesn't it?"

"It does... so, feeling warmer then?"

"Yeah! How did you get my clothes dry so quickly?"

"A little bit of fire always helps."

"Wow... man, I've _gotta_ learn how to do that... it'd save time on the washing!"

"Maybe I could teach you! Well... when I'm a little _less_ busy..."

"Sounds great."

"Yeah... so, you wanna watch some TV?"

"Sure."

The two of them flicked through various TV channels, until they found one that seemed interesting — a program that went various dumb feats humans have done, like making a pizza the size of a football field, or the person who grew their nails to _18 feet._ Yeah, humanity certainly gets up to some dumb _shit..._

Ness and Paula were particularly surprised upon seeing the world's fattest man — how _did_ someone survive like that?

"How can someone be _that_ fat?"

"Well, _look_ whose talking — you're not exactly a string bean yourself!"

"Hey! That's just cheap... I struggle with that..."

"Ohhh, I never said it was a _bad_ thing though. After all, there _are_ certain advantages."

"Like what?"

"Like this."

Paula settled into the crook of Ness's neck, beginning to cuddle him.

"Mhmm... you're very cosy... so cuddly... aren't you..."

Paula attempted to stifle a yawn, but she did a rather bad job of it.

"You okay?"

"Hm... yeah, yeah! I'm fine."

The two continued to watch more stuff, but the longer they went, the more Ness noticed that Paula was looking rather tired. She was yawning a lot and at attempts seemed to almost doze off. He repeatedly asked her if she was fine, only for her to always respond that she was.

Ness was sure _something_ was wrong... and it didn't take him long to figure out what it might have been. After Paula's next yawn, he asked her a very simple question.

"Paula... how much sleep have you gotten recently?"

"What?"

She seemed rather taken aback by the question, which made Ness confident that he was on the right line.

"How much sleep have you gotten recently?"

"I've... I've gotten enough —"

But Ness knew Paula long enough to be able to figure out when she was lying, or the very least, not being _entirely_ truthful and quickly cut through her thin lie like a hot knife through butter.

_"Paula._ Please... be honest with me."

"I... not that much... I've... I've been finding it hard recently."

"You _need_ to get some sleep, and you clearly need it now. So... why don't you get some?"

"What... _now?"_

"Yes. You're _clearly_ exhausted — I'm guessing all your duties are taking a toll on you. But you don't have any duties right now... so get some rest."

"But... but... what about our date?"

"I'm gonna say that your health is a _bit_ more important than that."

"I can't... not yet, maybe once our date is finished."

"Well... you leave me no choice. I'm sorry.... but this date is over."

_"What?!"_

"PSI Hypnosis!"

Paula was immediately stricken with a bout of drowsiness which she tried to shake off, but she was too tired already to do so, and quickly found herself slipping.

"You... you sly... devil..."

"It's for your own good."

"Urgh... maybe... maybe... I guess... you're right."

"Sometimes, I am."

"I... please... Ness... will you stay with me..."

"Of... of course."

"Thank you... Ness... you'll _always_ stay with me... won't you?"

"Always..."

With that, Paula finally let herself succumb to the PSI and fell asleep, snuggled right next to Ness. She looked completely at peace... not a single bit of anxiety on her face, and the shadows beneath her eyes seemed to become a little lighter.

As she shifted, she pulled Ness a little closer to her, the psychic boy having no objections to it, and holding her closer. Her blonde locks fanned out, giving her an almost ethereal look of beauty.

Ness was content to simply watch her, and the rain outside, though he found himself growing somewhat drowsy himself. He wondered if perhaps he didn't get enough sleep himself... because he wanted to join her.

Despite Ness's best efforts, he only managed to last an hour before resigning himself to his fate, closing his eyes so he could join his girlfriend.

For the next hour, the peaceful sounds from the two psychics were punctuated only by the sound of the gentle rain...

"Ahh... it's been a _long_ day..."

_...and_ the sounds of someone approaching the door.

"Ooh... I'm so tired..."

Mrs Jones had come back, being done for the day. She entered the house, ready to relax on the couch — only to see that said couch was currently occupied by two sleeping psychics, hands and legs intertwined with one another, and a blissful look of contentment on both of their faces.

She barely managed to hold her laughter in, settling for simply smiling and giving a silent thank you to Ness, knowing sleep had been eluding her daughter recently.

Pondering what to do, she eventually decided to simply head upstairs, making a mental note to wake Ness before her husband got back, but she could leave them be for now.

After all, it couldn't hurt to let them be together a _little_ bit longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this was uh... long... very long... ludicrously long... but how long?
> 
> Ohhh... just 11,243 words!  
> 
> 
> Yeah. I've finally managed to do the impossible... I've written my first chapter that went over 10,000 words... holy crap. So... congratulations for making it here — doubly so if you did so in one sitting (why?).
> 
>   
> ...let's go over everything then, shall we?
> 
>   
> First off, the Narrator's rap at the very beginning — it's something I came up with myself on a walk to school. It was very dumb and very silly, so I decided to throw it in, because it seemed fitting for the Narrator... and because it amused me. That's basically the explanation for a lot of things in this chapter. It amused me, so I put it in.
> 
> Contrary to what that rap might imply, I do not support the 'Giygas is a fetus' theory... I needed a rhyme, and that one worked well on multiple levels.
> 
>   
> Next up, Flint and Hinawa. It's a shame that we don't see these two together much because of Hinawa's death, and part of the reason I wrote this fic is because I wanted them to be able to be the good parents to Lucas and Claus that they always could be.
> 
> I see the two as being really good parents and the scene where they ground Claus is an example of that, giving a punishment which is very fair within the circumstances.
> 
>   
> Lucas and Claus competing in DDR is now officially canon for me. And of course, more discussions between the two — the differences between the twins makes it very fun, especially having Claus mercilessly mock his brother. Something I wanted to bring up is that Lucas has a bit of a thing about hugging — that's actually an inspiration I took from my own brother, who is a lot like Lucas in some ways. My brother is quite fond of hugging people... and I thought it worked well for Lucas,
> 
> And of course, there's the main attraction of this chapter — Ness and Paula! Despite this ship being my OTP, this is actually the very first time I've actually attempted to write the two in a romantic context — and it's in a Nesscas fic. 
> 
> (I don't count Cycles, and I'd likely be crucified by all the Ness/Paula shippers — including myself, if I were to count it. That's not me insulting Ness/Paula shippers — no, that's me insulting Cycles and myself for writing it...)
> 
> To be fair through, this fic is supposed to be equal parts Nesscas and Naula, but I haven't been able to deliver on the Naula front, because the story takes place from Lucas's perspective (well, technically, it's from the Narrator's perspective, but they narrate mostly from Lucas's POV). So, this chapter's my best attempt at balancing things out for now.
> 
>   
> And... well, I think I cranked the fluffiness dial really high here... and I regret absolutely none of it. I have come to the realisation that there is nothing better for the soul than writing Ness/Paula, and it feels really good. Definitely gonna have to do more.
> 
>   
> Ness and Paula's relationship is a lovely one to write in my opinion, and it's the kind that I think lasts through thick and thin, despite Claus's best efforts...
> 
>   
> And speaking of Claus, I think this might have been his most controversial moment — attempting to sabotage Ness and Paula's date (even though he ultimately fails), so let me explain.
> 
> Claus is... he's a very 'the end justify the means' kinda person. He does what he does, not because he necessarily wants to, but because he thinks it will help Lucas, in contrast to Lucas himself who can't think in an 'end justifies the means' way, and wouldn't have the mindset to do something like this. Again, Claus has good intentions (or at the very least, relatively good ones), but his way of going about things is very misguided.
> 
> Finally... did anyone catch the Spaceballs reference? Seriously, Spaceballs is brilliant — go and watch it if you haven't! 
> 
> Anyway... hopefully, the next chapter won't be nearly as long (cue the next chapter being 20000 words long). I know that long chapters are never a good thing, so I'll try to refrain from making these overly long... once again, congrats for getting down here and have a nice day!


	5. A Tale Of Arcades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright then, warnings, let's see... ah, yes.
> 
> There is one particularly graphic description of a corpse, courtesy of yours truly. It is... pretty heavy. If such a thing makes you uncomfortable, firstly, my apologies, and secondly, you may wish to skip that portion of this chapter. 
> 
> It is preceded by a character saying viewer discretion is advised — and they're not just talking to the characters, they're talking to you!

Oh, goddamn it, why is there always _so_ much to _do?!_

I swear to God... if I have to fill _another_ form, I'm gonna _destroy_ Foggyland, I really _am._ Then, again, I _was_ born there so... eh, Chommo it is then.

Or maybe the Lost Underworld — you know, I never really liked that place. Yeah, I'll blow _that_ up.

Except if I do so... I'll have to fill _another_ form! GODDAMN IT!

_Ohhhhhh_... oh! Oh! Hello! Hello, it's _great_ to see you again! No, _really,_ it actually _is,_ cause this gives me the _perfect_ excuse to take a break!

Woo!

What am I doing then? Well, I've had to fill a bunch of paperwork. Yes, _I_ have to fill in _paperwork._ You see, I gotta keep a daily record of all the stuff that's going in this world. You know, number of births, number of deaths, number of teens having _underage sex_ — shit like _that._

That last one can get _rather disturbing_ to count... seriously, people, sex is not _that_ great! I mean, it's _pretty_ great, but not _so_ great that you should break the _law_ for it! Seriously, can people not just _wait?!_

Now, I _like_ counting pointless shit, but sometimes it gets _really_ annoying — because I also have to record _how_ the things that died actually died, if it wasn't by natural causes, like age or disease — in which case, I get a pass. Strangely though, natural disasters and the like don't actually _count_ as natural... for _some_ reason.

As you can imagine, whenever there's an earthquake or a volcanic eruption (or _both_ , since the former usually causes the _latter_ ), my job gets all the more busy.

But that's not the worst part of it, _no._ Those days are kinda tiring, yes, but it's not all that bad — because I know _exactly_ what _caused_ all those deaths.

The issue is when I _don't._

See, occasionally, I _can't_ figure out why a bunch of deaths happen. It doesn't happen all that often — maybe say... once in a _thousand_ years, and I've _always_ managed to find the answer, but every time it does, I get _scared._

Take today for instance — see, _ten_ of the Mr Saturns all _died_ for some reason, but I haven't figured _why_ yet. It can't be age — the Saturns can live _centuries_ and the chances of _ten_ of them all reaching the ends of their lives at the _exact_ same time is so impossibly _low,_ that if I was to actually bother _calculating_ it and I put the answer into a calculator, it would just round it to _zero._

So... _something_ happened. But I don't know _what._

And as you might imagine, when something manages to slip past my radar and _I_ can't figure something out, something _bad_ must have happened.

The only question then... is what?

But, I suppose I shouldn't dwell too much on this... an answer will pop around eventually, won't it?

Still, I need to get through this paperwork... after all, it's not _just_ the deaths I need to keep track of... there's all the _other_ stuff that I have to record. What's this here... _oh_... _this_... and it's _this_ one as well... how coincidental. Ah, it brings back memories, good and bad... those were the days, back when things were so much simpler....

_Mitxuisx Sltbxo: 1_

_Satx Rf Mitxuisx: 'Roigisau'_

_Zwasgxn Tayx: Srsx — im in mwx roigisau mitxuisx, afmxo auu, nr im han itqrnnibux fro mwx Yaok Yoagrs mr takx asd zwasgxn, takisg mwin in mwx banx nmasyaoy mr zrtqaox auu rmwxo mitxuisxn agaisnm._

_Oxanrs Fro Faiulox: Mwin mxzwsizauud ins'm a faiulox, niszx mwin rsx sxxyxy mr waqqxs is royxo fro mwx Yaok Yoagrs mr bx ahrkxs._

_Im yiy wrhxjxo uxay mr mwx oxanrsn fro sxxyisg mr zwasgx mwisgn — bxzalnx Qrkxd Tiszw han nmiuu auijx._

_Mwx zrsyimirsn nxm hxox nqxzifizauud mr xsnlox mwam Qrkxd hrluy bx yxay, blm mwx Abnrulmxud Nafx Zaqnlux (ro mwx ANZ, an im tad bx oxfxooxy mr wxszxfromw) tayx im nr mwam mwx Yaok Yoagrs han **iszaqabux** rf xoanisg Qrkxd._

_Dxn, mwx ANZ flufiuuxy im'n satx mr mwx xemoxtx — imn xeinmxszx frozxn Qrkxd Tiszw mr bx a zrsnmasm, hwr xeinmn rlmniyx rf mitx imnxuf._

_An mwx zrsyimirsn nxm zrluys'm bx flufiuuxy, mwx rsud had mr yr nr hrluy bx mr aumxo mwisgn, mr qoxjxsm Qrkxd fort oinisg mr qrhxo, txasisg mwam mwx txtroixn rf mwrnx rs mwx Srhwxox Inuasyn hrluy wajx mr bx xoanxy rszx agais... bxzalnx mwx rsud nrulmirs in mr zwasgx mwx zrlonx rf azmirs aumrgxmwxo._

_Mwx plxnmirs in... wrh? Asy hwxox mr nmaom?_

_Zwasgxn Fro Flmlox Mitxuisxn: Yrxn im zrlsm an zwasgisg mwx flmlox, if mwx qanm in bxisg aumxoxy? Ximwxo had, I nlqqrnx I'uu wajx mr mod nrtx mwisgn rlm. Td fionm zrlonx rf azmirs hiuu bx mr xeqxoitxsm himw Qrkxd'n uifx... nxx if im'n qrnnibux mr zwasgx im is nrtx had._

_Himw asd ulzk, mwisgn nwrluy mlos rlm hxuu!_

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What an _idiot!_ No, not just an idiot, _a fucking idiot!_

What? You can't _read_ it? Oh _yeah,_ of _course_ you can't. See, I have a very special and _complicated_ substitution cipher that I use for all the stuff I write down. I use it to make sure that no one _else_ can read what I write — there's some sensitive stuff here!

Honestly though, I'm not quite sure _why_ I bother with it... I've _memorised_ all of these things off by heart... still, I _guess_ it's important, so the cipher _stays._

Urgh, you know what? I can figure this all out _later._

_Right_ then, last time, well... a _bunch_ of stuff happened. First off, Claus got grounded (AHAHAHA) for his fight with Pokey, though his parents were lenient with him, owing to the circumstances. Following that, Lucas recounted the woes of his date to Claus, who was supportive... in _more_ ways than one.

But of course, we can't forget Ness and Paula who embarked on their date which went rather well... until things took a turn for the worse when they met a mysterious boy.

You see, the two dumb fucks, Claus and Ninten (I'm trying out a new nickname), or rather just Claus with Ninten being there to make sure he didn't do anything _too_ crazy, decided to try and sabotage Ness and Paula's date for Lucas's sake — partial rhyming for the win.

Claus disguised himself and then attempted to flirt with Paula, purposefully trying to provoke the two of them into _attacking_ him — and from personal experience, I can say that's something which Claus is _very_ good at.

Either way, Ness gave in to anger, punching the disguised Claus in the _stomach_ (don't we _all_ want to) ... at the cost of getting the three of them kicked _out._ With a heavy rainstorm toppling onto the couple who had unfortunately both neglected to bring coats, it looks like the two dumb fucks' plan had worked...

_Except_ for the fact that they're two _dumb_ fucks, and _didn't_ foresee the possibility that Ness and Paula would manage to _enjoy_ themselves in the rain, before having a cosy session at Paula's house, where their relationship took _quite_ the leap, as Ness and Paula ended up _sleeping together_ for the _first_ time... _snuggling_ with one another on Paula's couch.

I mean... they are _16_... but Ness and Paula _do_ have self restraint — and an impressive amount considering their age.

So anyway, today was a Sunday — everyone's _second_ least favourite day of the week because tomorrow was everyone's _least_ favourite day of the week, Monday.

But it was a fairly quiet morning in Lucas's house... not much was going on — yes, Claus had even decided to stay off the guitar for today, meaning the house was at _peace._

All of the family except Hinawa was downstairs — Flint, Claus and Boney were in the living room, watching TV, and Lucas was in the kitchen, making some breakfast for the rest of the family.

Ah, breakfast, it's a rather important time of the day to Foggylanders — after all, we _are_ the resident authority on all things breakfast related.

And breakfast on a Sunday was always a bit of a special affair in the house, since all the family got one extra thing to go with their omelets that they enjoyed for breakfast. It gave Hinawa a lot to do, but she didn't mind — however today, Lucas had beaten her to the punch.

Lucas usually helps his mother make the food regardless, but he thought it'd be nice to give her a day off, so he decided to do it all himself today.

He _would_ have asked his father and brother to help, but both of them, particularly Claus, were _hopeless_ at cooking, and would have likely made things _harder,_ so Lucas thought better than to ask.

Besides, he didn't mind doing it himself and he knew how to make each of the items for his family fairly easily.

Flint always enjoyed having some nut cookies — their dirt like appearance reminded him of his childhood, where he helped his own father on the farm.

Hinawa, on the other hand, was rather fond of having croissants herself — the smell of them reminded her of when her mother would make them, the heavenly smell permeating throughout the entire house.

Her father would often joke that he ate so many of her mother's croissants that he should be shaped like one himself... a shame that they were both gone.

Claus had something jam packed with energy (though lacking in _jam)_ — _bacon pancakes._ How _fitting._

The concept of combining _bacon_ and _pancakes_ is one that initially disgusted me — who would combine those things _together?!_ However, I must admit, they _are_ actually very nice, despite what I initially thought.

Claus likes to pour lots of syrup on his pancakes, to maximise the contrast between the taste of the savoury bacon and the sweet pancakes, and evidently to also maximise the chance of developing coronary heart disease — again, it _sounds_ disgusting, but Claus certainly enjoyed himself.

And as for Lucas? He had something that I've never actually come across before in life — spinach cheese pockets.

Essentially, they were triangular shaped pieces of pastry that were filled spinach, cheese and tomatoes, adorned with sesame seeds. It was a rather healthy choice as well, though I think I'll stay to the Foggylandian Breakfast — it _is objectively_ the _best_ breakfast out there.

Indeed, Lucas enjoyed cooking quite a lot. enjoying the comforting sounds of the oven heating, or the pan sizzling the eggs away.

He loved how the delicious aromas from all the different pieces of food combine into one aroma that made his salivary glands work overtime.

And most of all, he loved seeing his family enjoy the food that he had helped make.

With a flip of his spatula, Lucas finished making the last omelet, when his mother walked in.

"Lucas?! What are you doing?"

"Mom! Ah! You... you weren't supposed to come in _yet!_ I... I was just making breakfast for everyone..."

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I... I thought you deserved a day off... you do so much for us all. You cook for us day in and day out, so I thought it'd be nice if _you_ could just relax for a change... I hope you don't mind..."

Hinawa's heart just about _melted_ at her son's words — she couldn't be _happier_ that he was blessed with such a kind heart!

"Lucas... I... how much have you done?!"

"I've done Dad's cookies, your croissants, my pockets and the omelets."

Hinawa was shocked at that — he'd done that much already?!

"Goodness, you're getting quicker and quicker, Lucas! Maybe I should have you make breakfast on Sundays from now on!"

"Are you sure I wouldn't just burn the house down?"

"Of course not! Now, as for _Claus_... let's just say I wouldn't trust him in this room alone unless there were at least _four_ fire extinguishers in here as _well..."_

"Oh _yeah_ , do you remember when he tried to make some croissants for you on Mother's Day?"

"Oh, I won't forget _that_ one anytime soon. I'm still not entirely sure _how_ he managed to set off the smoke alarm... which is _why_ I wouldn't trust Claus in this room _unless_ there were at least four fire extinguishers. Speaking of Claus, I best make his pancakes..."

"Oh no you don't! _I'll_ take care of them, Mom. You go and relax. Shoo!"

And so Lucas forced his mother to leave the kitchen, shaking his spatula at her in mock anger.

_"Lucas... I must have been blessed to have you..."_

Once his mother had left, Lucas got to work making Claus's pancakes, singing to himself while doing so — he often liked to sing while he was alone.

_"In a distant town... as the dark grows deep."_

He first added some flour and baking powder to a bowl, before beating some eggs and milk together, until they were done well to a nice texture.

_"Unfamiliar words resound... whispered and weak..."_

He knew Claus liked his chocolate, so he decided to get some chocolate chips from the cupboard to put in the mixture. Adding them all together, Lucas carefully mixed them all together, until it all became as thick as single cream.

_"Let me heal the pain... drive away despair."_

Taking one of their non stick frypans, Lucas brushed the surface with butter before adding some of the batter, swirling the pan to form a circle in the centre until the top started to bubble. He flipped it over and cooked the underside, until it looked nice and golden, repeating this for the rest of the pancakes.

_"Lead this child who's lost his way... help him prepare."_

Next, Lucas took a different pan and added some oil to it, to fry the bacon. He put three rashers in, letting them sizzle for a few minutes, flipping and letting them cook some more until they were all done.

_"While apart, understand... I will live my life for you... wherever I am."_

Finally, he stacked the pancakes together, drawing a heart in every layer using maple syrup, with the bacon on top of the stack. He finished it off by drizzling the top with maple syrup... just how Claus liked it.

_"It's my greatest wish, to provide for you... tender moments, sweetest dreams, love, warm, and true..."_

That's a nice song, Lucas... where did you learn it?

"Oh, this? It... it was something Mom used to sing to us when we were young... it always reminds me of home..."

Hm... you've never really felt comfortable here, have you?

"Not really... I'm _glad_ to have met everyone I did here, but I do miss Tazmily... I'd like to move back then when I'm older... but then I'd have to move away from all my friends again. It's a bit of a mess... I don't know which is more important."

Haha... you know... when I was a child, I actually had to move around Foggyland a lot... I may have made _many_ friends... but, I lost them all when I moved, because I never stayed in contact with them. I suppose that proves that I never really _cared_ for them as friends at all, if I never _made_ the effort to stay in contact.

But... if you value your friends that much, _find_ a way. _Don't_ lose contact with them.

"What... what about you? Did you ever manage to do so?"

Actually... _yes_. But... obviously, that was _long_ ago... and I can't claim to have any friends _now._

"You're wrong. Because... you can call me your friend."

Ha... haha... _ahhh_... oh, Lucas... Hinawa was _right._ She really _was_ blessed to have a child like you... this entire _world_ is...

"What?"

Oh, ignore me. You should probably go and have breakfast with your family.

"Yeah, I guess you're right... but... if there's anything you wanna talk about... don't feel scared to."

Haha... ohhhh, Lucas... you don't _know_ how much I want to take you up on that offer... but of course, I'll never be able _to..._

Lucas started gathering all the food that he had cooked, before calling his family.

"Everyone! Breakfast's ready!"

"WOO! OMELETS _AND_ PANCAKES!"

Before Lucas could react, Claus came barrelling into the kitchen, immediately grabbing his coveted omelets and bacon pancakes, along with a knife and fork.

"Claus! Manners!"

Hinawa's words were very much lost on her son, who immediately cut a slice of his omelet, bacon and pancakes before all three went down his ravenous maw, leaving a syrupy smile on his face.

With a look of exasperation on her face and a roll of her eyes, Hinawa decided not to pursue the matter any further, taking some cutlery for the rest of her family. Flint came in soon after, taking his omelets and nut cookies.

"Mhmm... these pancakes are wonderful! I think these are your best yet, Mom!"

"Oh? Then you'll want to thank Lucas for those — he's the one that made everything!"

"Really? Wow, Lucas, they're great!"

"Maybe Lucas should make pancakes for you from now then."

"Yeah! Lucas, from this day forth, I hearby appoint you as my personal pancake chef! It's a big responsibility!"

"Oh... well, I'm not sure if I'm up to the duty!"

"I'm sure you'll do just fine. You've already proven yourself to me! What do you think, Dad?"

"I think... I want more of these nut cookies. Sorry, Lucas, but I think you're gonna have to do this more often!"

"It's okay! I don't mind!"

Flint and Claus took their food back into the living room so they could see the rest of the news, while Hinawa went to get her omelets and croissants — though not before embracing her younger son and whispering to him.

"Thank you, Lucas..."

"You're... you're welcome..."

Initially, Lucas felt a little embarrassed to be hugged by his mother despite being _16..._ though not as embarrassed to admit that he still _enjoyed_ them.

In fact, Lucas had always rather enjoyed hugs... they were warm and tender... they were _comforting..._

But most of all... they made Lucas feel _safe._

It wouldn't be surprising to say that Lucas wasn't the bravest person — indeed, Lucas was always more timid than the average person was.

But Lucas was also a firm believer in the power of _people._ With so little as a second person, the number of things you could do was _phenomenal._

And hugs... they were Lucas's way of proving to others and himself, that no one was alone, to be able to _touch_ another piece of flesh, that you cared for, and for it to care back, to simply having it _around_ you... it was something that Lucas cherished _dearly._

That's why Lucas had always enjoyed them, even past his childhood, after which hugs were considered _'gross'_ and _'super gay'._ But there was a part of him that always felt a little embarrassed about the fact that he enjoyed them so much... after all, surely it was a sign of _weakness?_ A sign that Lucas was too _tender._

Eventually, Lucas stopped hugging people altogether, stating that he'd simply grown out of those, despite him wanting them on the inside.

Perhaps, Hinawa was well aware of the lie which Lucas had tried to convince himself into believing, because she told him something that he still remembered to this _day_ — that a kind and tender heart is something to be _proud_ of, because not everyone _has_ one.

It was slow... but over time, Lucas started to grow more fond of hugs again. He started seeking them more, he started becoming less embarrassed about them, with those reservations becoming less and less.

And so, he let his mother hug him, and he ignored his own embarrassment, giving in to his heart's desire by returning her warm embrace with one of his own.

He let her run her hand though his hair, feeling it comb through his blonde locks, flattening a particularly unruly one that insisted on pointing up, like a mountain ridge.

He let her gently kiss him on the forehead despite that little embarrassment, because that _feeling_... it's his _favourite_ thing in the _world._

_Love._

Lucas joined the rest of their family in the living room, making sure to bring some special dog treats for Boney — after all, he was a part of the family as well!

The family dog happily barked at the sight of Lucas and licked his face upon seeing his treats.

"Down, Boney, down!"

Boney sat down, before happily digging into his treats.

_"How are they, Boney?"_

_"Gruff... lovely, Lucas!"_

With a smile on his face, Lucas sat down next to his brother on the couch, noticing his brother was staring intently at the TV.

"Claus, you watch too much of that. Your brain's gonna rot. Well, assuming it already _hasn't."_

"Haha, very _funny._ But take a look at this."

Lucas turned towards the television and started to pay attention to the news... but it wasn't about the most _pleasant_ of topics.

"... od Gang... people in Fourside should keep their eyes open for members of this group..."

Hinawa entered soon after, catching a few words from the news while doing so, a look of shock immediately making her way onto her face. She took a seat in her armchair before asking about it.

"Gangs?! What's all this about?"

It was Claus who answered.

"Oh, Mom... it's kinda messed up. Apparently, there's this gang in Fourside — they've been there for a while and they're causing quite a bit of chaos there."

"I'm glad we decided to move somewhere quiet like Onett, rather than Fourside."

"If all this is true, then yes, we made a _wise_ decision. Claus, would you increase the volume?"

At his mother's request, Claus grabbed the remote and turned up the volume, the reporter's words becoming more and more clear.

"... dangerous, very dangerous. Most members of these gangs are in their early 20's, and wear a black mask on their faces. A common choice of clothing seems to be leather jackets with orange buttons on them, from eyewitness accounts. Once again, these criminals are _very_ dangerous."

The reporter sitting on the left started talking after.

"Indeed, they _are,_ but can you tell our viewers exactly _how_ dangerous are we're talking about here?"

_"Incredibly._ These people _can_ and _will kill_ people at a whim. In fact, we have some photos of one of their victims. Now, these pictures are _very_ graphic. Viewer discretion is advised."

The screen changed from the two reporters to one of — _SWEET JESUS!_

"OH MY GOD!"

"What on _EARTH_ did they do to this person?!"

"I... I can't _look...!"_

"That's... _horrible!"_

The family were _very unlucky_ to be eating at the time, because at the sight of the photo, all _four_ of them nearly _threw up._

Even _Boney_ reacted to the photo, whimpering heavily when he saw it, before barking loudly a few times.

I... I'm not sure if I could even _do_ this photo justice... but... I'll give it a shot.

So... if I was to give a _PC_ description of this photo, I'd say... _'it was a picture of a man in his early twenties.'_

That's all.

Because, the _moment_ I start going into any more detail... well...

The photo was a picture of a _dead_ man in his early twenties. But that wasn't what made it _so_... so _disturbing._ It was the _manner_ in which he was killed.

He was stabbed. And not just once, or twice, or three times... _no._ He was stabbed _so_ many times that... that I don't _know._

No, _seriously,_ I couldn't give you a precise number — my _best_ count is that he was stabbed 43 times!

There were _numerous_ punctures to his arms, each of them going _deep_ into them. Bloody fragments of glass were embedded in them, with several of them crossing into a different wound, having internally injured the victim.

His legs were much the same, only the wounds seemed _thinner_ and the injuries were broader but less deep, the wounds likely being caused by a _knife,_ as opposed sharp pieces of glass.

But his face... it was _brutally mutilated._ More wounds, but while the ones on his arms were sliced for depth and the ones on his legs were sliced for breadth, these ones were sliced for _both._

The scars ran all the way across, to the point where it was virtually _impossible_ to distinguish one of them from another, as they often interlocked with each other, forming a lattice of blood that made it impossible to make _any_ sort of guess to an _identity_ — the _only_ reason _I_ know he's a man is because I'm a _deity!_

His throat had been _cut_ as well... you could even see the _cartilage rings_ of the trachea, one of which had been taken and _ripped out_ of his throat, blood pouring out his mouth.

And as for his body? Standard affair really, more cuts, more bruises, more _blood._ There were two particularly deep ones on the upper left and the upper right side of his body — his lungs had _definitely_ been pierced as well, causing the aforementioned blood pouring out of his mouth.

Everything had been almost completely hacked to pieces...

_Except_ for his abdomen.

While everywhere else was covered in injuries and blood, his abdomen was relatively clean. In fact, there was only _one_ injury there.

But it was perhaps the _scariest._

Someone had used an knife to _engrave_ something on his chest... it was two letters. Two... _Bs..._

But even _that_ wasn't the most interesting thing about those the chest. No... it was the _colour_ of those letters.

Blood is... _red_ — I'm stating the obvious here, yes, but I think it's necessary to clarify that fact.

And most of the body drenched in blood was indeed _red_ — though some parts were a darker red, from being exposed to the air for some time...

... but _not_ the part where the letters had been carved in.

Whoever had attacked this person had used some sort of... _dye_... because the blood that filled the wounds of the initials was no _longer_ red.

It was _black._

It was a deep, _dark_ black, making it look like this person had bled... _black blood._

A deep solemnness set into all of the family, all five of them immediately stopping their meal, each with a different emotion rubbing through them.

Hinawa was simply _horrified._ She was horrified to see such an act of brutality among people, and was half tempted to ask her children to leave... but she was sure that they would likely _refuse,_ and they _were_ old enough to deserve to know about such matters... because such things were very _real._

Flint was _disgusted._ He was ashamed to see something like this done by some of his own kind, and gave a silent prayer to the family of this man.

Lucas... he was just scared. Lucas _knew_ about acts of violence — he'd _seen_ them. He'd been involved in them. But, he'd _never_ seen anything as _extreme_ as _this._ He wondered... what if that was one of _his family?_ What if the person there was his _dad..._ or his _mom..._ or _Claus?_

Without even realizing it, he held Boney close to him, the dog comforting his master.

Among them all though, Claus was the only one who wasn't focused on _what_ he was looking at, but rather, _why_ he was looking at it.

Once he'd gotten over the initial shock of _seeing_ such a thing, Claus started to wonder exactly _why_ whoever killed this man would bother to do so in this manner.

_"Why did they stab him so many times..."_

A good question — one _alone_ would have likely killed him, either from the wound itself, _or_ the ensuing blood loss. Two would have increased the odds. Three would have _ensured_ it.

But _this_ many? This was _overkill._

This... this was a _message._

A _symbol_ of _what_ these people were willing to _do._

And if this was supposed to be a representation of that... their limits were almost _non - existent._

"... body was found yesterday, attached to the sign of the Topolla Theater. Police are still looking into how they managed to get the body up there, but so far, their investigation has yielded no answers on how these vicious crooks managed such a feat."

"Indeed, these criminals are _incredibly vicious._ Lawless fiends, the lot of them. Do _not_ engage them under _any_ circumstances. If you see _any_ of them, contact the Fourside Police _immediately._ If you have any information on any of these members, you are also heavily advised to contact the Fourside Police."

"Thank you, indeed, we should _all_ be vigilant, and trust in the police. Can you tell our viewers though why the police have not been doing much to find these members until recently?"

"A number of reasons really. Firstly, they haven't been a priority for the police until a few months ago, where they have been significantly more active in terms of their crimes, leading to this particular incident, where they found this body. Even still, they hide their faces very well, preventing the police from identifying their members."

"I see. So, once again, if you have any information at all, you are strongly advised to go to the police with it. May we hope that the streets of Fourside can be cleansed by these noble people."

Things changed to a different piece of news, something on sports — but none of the family were paying any attention to it, the image they had just seen still at the forefront of their minds.

It was Flint who recovered and spoke first.

"Boys... I want you both to be careful out there. I know that Onett's smaller and safer than Fourside is, but still... you never know if people like this are lurking around. And that goes _doubly_ so for you, Claus. I know you like to take a bit of a... _'hands on'_ approach to things in life, but with people like _this? It's not worth it."_

"Your father's right. Please, _please_ keep an eye out... I can't bear the thought of you two ending like up like that!"

"We will..."

"Yeah..."

"Good... let's just finish."

The family quickly finished off their food in relative silence, before washing each of their plates. It was about 9:00, so Flint left for work — he didn't normally go in on Sundays, but they needed the extra manpower today.

Hinawa did some cleaning while the twins simply decided to read — Lucas continued with 'Secrets of PSI', while Claus was reading a sports magazine.

It wasn't until 12:30 that anything interesting happened — someone was knocking on the door.

Lucas ran down the stairs, almost tripping in his haste, remembering who it was, and when he opened it, there was none other than Ness standing there.

"Hey, Ness!"

"Hi, Lucas! Ready for the arcade?"

"Yeah, let me just get my coat and tell my mother I'm leaving."

Lucas quickly ran back inside, finding his mother and telling her where he was going, to which she asked to be careful, especially in light of this morning.

He went upstairs for his coat, almost knocking over Claus, who was coming _down_ then.

"Woah! What's gotten into you?!"

"Oh, Ness is here! We're going to the arcade!"

"Ah, I _see..._ have fun on your date!"

With a little bit of fluster, Lucas continued upwards, while Claus decided that he may as well say hi to Ness while he was here.

"Ness! Nice to see ya!”

"Oh, hey, Claus! I heard you got suspended from school...”

“Yeah, it’s for next week, so I won’t be in.”

“Sorry to hear. Must suck.”

“Eh, I don’t mind — it was for Lucas and all. Look after him for me next week, okay?”

“Of course! So how are you then?”

“I’m alright, got grounded, but my parents weren’t that mad about it all. And you?”

“Yeah, same. Everything's pretty good!”

_"Pretty good? After yesterday?! Something's not right..."_

"Good to hear. Hey, I heard you and Paula went on a date yesterday. How'd that go?"

"You know, I think it went pretty well!”

"Really?"

"Yeah! We went to the mall, did a little shopping, had a game of bowling and got a bite to eat. Although, there _was_ that _boy..."_

"Boy? What boy?"

"Oh, some _asshole_ came up to Paula and started _flirting_ with her. He was really persistent as well, and he wouldn't take no for an answer1"

_"I'd take offence to the 'asshole' part... if it weren't true."_

"Sounds like a nasty piece of work."

"I know, right?! And then, he starts insulting her, and I just... I kinda lost it."

"Oh? What did you do?"

"I... punched him in the stomach... I kinda regret it."

_"Yeah, you pack a **mean** right hook, Ness... I can still feel that punch..."_

"So... I'm guessing you all got kicked out then?"

"Yeah... and then it started to _rain_ outside... and _neither_ of us had coats."

"Well, I gotta say... Ness... that sounds like a terrible date! You got kicked out into the cold rain!"

"Yeah... but we actually had a lot of fun out there! We got soaked, but once we started ignoring it, we had quite a lot of fun!"

"What's this about?"

The two turned to see Lucas, who had come back down, coat in hand.

"Oh, Ness was just telling me about his date with Paula yesterday. Basically, they went to the mall, but got kicked out because of this asshole who started flirting with Paula and pissed Ness off."

"Yeah, and then we got kicked out into the rain."

"Sounds like... it didn't go all that well..."

Lucas had to be _very_ careful when saying that — he couldn't resist the fact that he was kinda _happy_ that Ness didn't have a good date... and simultaneously _ashamed_ that he found happiness in the potential sadness of two close friends.

"Nah, again, we ended having fun in the rain, and we went back to Paula's house, where..."

But Ness cut himself off, a blush making his way to his cheeks over the memory.

"Where...?"

"Well... we both took a shower... and then we started to... _cuddle..."_

_"Okay..."_

"And then... _well..."_

With Ness being incredibly nervous about the topic in question, a number of ideas quickly made their way into Claus's head, with him immediately assuming the most _extreme_ one.

"Oh my _God,_ did you two have _sex?!"_

At Claus's ludicrously _outlandish_ suggestion, a horrified expression made its way on Ness's face, because he was so _wrong,_ while a horrified expression made its way onto _Lucas's_ face, in case Claus was _right._

"No! NO! What... what... _just_... Claus! Just... _NO!"_

_"Oh, thank God!"_

"We just ended up falling _asleep_ on Paula's couch! That's _all! God,_ you've got an imagination, _don't you..."_

Claus at least had the decency to look embarrassed at himself, wondering exactly _why_ he thought that — Ness likely wouldn't do such a thing until he was older.

Ness, however, was still remembering that afternoon... he had certainly enjoyed it, and was sad when Mrs Jones eventually woke him up, though he was _immensely_ grateful at her for keeping it secret, and glad that it was her that found them instead of Mr Jones... because Ness likely wouldn't be in the land of the living if he _had._

"So yeah... that's about all. It went really well! In fact, I've gotta thank you, Lucas, cause the advice you gave to me was really good! And Paula told me that you gave some good advice to her, so thanks for that as well!"

"You're welcome!"

However, on the inside, Lucas was, as you might guess, _very_ conflicted.

_"I... I want to be happy, happy for them, I really do! But... but I can't... I can't..."_

Claus... _wasn't_ faring much better either, internally _fuming_ with himself.

_"I did all that work... and I ended up HELPING THEM?! Well, I'm happy for Ness and Paula... but man, now I know **why** Lucas was finding so hard all this time... they really are inseparable..."_

"But enough about Paula and me, let's get going! Claus, you wanna join us?"

"Nah, thanks, but I'm not really in the mood. But hey, have a good time!"

"Alright, see ya then!"

"Bye, Claus!"

"Have fun, you two!"

Ness and Lucas left the house, leaving Claus alone to shut the door.

_"And... good luck to you, Lucas... I've got a feeling you're gonna need it."_

Ness and Lucas walked along the streets of Onett, being careful of the puddles that they occasionally found — it was cloudy today, but there were still many puddles from the storm yesterday.

Interestingly enough, there weren't all that many people out today — you'd usually see quite a few on the weekend, but there were barely any.

"You know, it's been a while since I've been to the arcade."

"Really?"

"Yeah, studies and all."

"I swear, Lucas, you study _far_ too much, considering how _smart_ you are. You need try unwinding a bit. When's the last time you went out and did something _fun?"_

Lucas paused for a bit to try and think of an answer... only to realise that he didn't actually _know._

"I can't remember..."

"Exactly! But today, we're gonna have fun! Starting now!"

"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

"Hm... race you to the library!"

And before Lucas could react, Ness immediately dashed off.

_"Oh... if that's how you wanna play it..."_

Lucas dashed off in pursuit of Ness, eventually managing to catch up to him. The two remained fairly close to each other for the majority of their little race, though they both found themselves getting more and more tired as they went on.

Thankfully, a few uses of PSI Healing along the way helped things out.

Still, Ness had the slight advantage over Lucas, as he had to do a fair bit of running himself in baseball. Ness was by no means a particularly _fast_ runner — he much preferred batting, but years of playing baseball _had_ helped him improve in the running field.

A shame Lucas doesn't know Quick Up then — it could help even the odds.

It wasn't too long before Ness reached the library, Lucas just behind, before the two collapsed on the ground in sheer exhaustion, huffing and puffing.

"Argh... I won... woo..."

"No... fair... you had a head... start..."

"All's fair in love and war, Lucas..."

The two lied down on the grass besides the library, catching their breath before picking themselves up.

"Well... I can't lie... that was pretty fun!"

"See?! To the arcade!"

The psychic duo continued, crossing the streets — making sure to look both ways before crossing, like the good little boys they were.

In all honesty though, how many times have you crossed the road and _not_ looked both ways? Exactly — and I'm much the same in that regard.

Still, doing so _is_ a good way to make sure you don't get hit by a _car_ — which is a very _real_ possibility in places like Onett, where drivers aren't exactly the most _courteous._

"Hey, Ness... did you listen to the news this morning?"

"Yeah."

"Did you hear about that... _body_ the police found in Fourside?"

"Oh _God_.... the one that was..."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I did... Mom was really scared about it. She almost didn't let me go out today, cause she was worried something like that would happen to _me."_

"But, that was in _Fourside."_

"Yeah... but there's _rumours_ , Lucas. And I've heard that some places in Onett aren't all that safe either."

"Really?"

"Yeah... again, they're just rumours... but even a rumour has to come from somewhere, right? And I've even heard that there's a similar bunch of people hanging in _Onett."_

_"What?!"_

"Mhmm. I'm not sure if they're as bad _as_ those guys in Fourside... but Mom was _certainly_ scared of the possibility. Just keep your eyes open... you never know what might happen."

"Yeah... I will..."

The two continued their walk in relative silence, Ness's words still hanging in the air.

Eventually, they got to the arcade, before going inside.

The inside of the arcade was in stark contrast to the outside — instead of bright and cloudy skies, there was a dark area with many kinds of flashing lights, from the various cabinets.

Instead of the relative quietness of the outdoors, there was the constant background noise of shouts, blips and singing from the karaoke.

And instead of there being relatively few people outside, there were actually quite a lot in here.

"Wow... it's changed a lot since my last time here..."

"Yeah, they added some new cabinets, made the place a little bigger — heck, they've even added some karaoke here!

"Wow, that's really cool! Although... I can't say the singing's the best..."

Yes, there was someone up there caterwauling away, with... not the _best_ voice — it made Lucas wince in musical agony.

"So... what d'ya wanna do first then?"

"I don't know... some racing?"

"Sure."

And so, it begun. The two started playing a number of arcade games, each with their own _wacky_ ideas, like a racing game where you ride on motorcycles... while _slashing_ people with _swords!_

Don't try that one at home — in fact, just _don't_ try that at _all!_

But after a series of games, Ness and Lucas eventually made their way to one particular cabinet.

"Hey, this one looks new... you said they added this one, didn't you? It's been some time since I've played it.

"Oh... you _sure_ about this?"

"It's on, Ness!"

And so, the two commenced in the ultimate fighting game... Super Bash Bros.

Ah, I have _so_ many memories of this game... being _thrashed_ by all my friends because I was _crap_ at it... yeah, that's pretty much _all_ the memories.

But it _was_ immensely fun.

"Oh, sweet! They added the Mythical Beasts!"

"Really?! Nice! Oh, Ness, I'm gonna destroy you!"

"Oh, don't count on your victory just yet!"

_Mythical Beasts?_

Huh... it's been some time since I've heard anyone talk about _them_ as well...

There are many creatures in this world, some stranger than others. Take the Mr Saturns, a group of genderless blobs that believe they are male, speak with a rather odd dialect, and yet, they have an unprecedented amount of technological prowess.

But few are more interesting or more debated about among scientists, than _these_ creatures.

The 8 Mythical Beasts — I know, it's a _brilliant_ name.

A group of strange creatures, born from _unknown_ means, each with their own _legend_ to accompany them. Their nature is one that many have questioned, and like the Magypsies... we don't even know if they _exist._

First, there's the Titanic Ant... an ant that is _queen_ above all others, with the combined brain power of _all_ the other ants in its domain. The more ants there are, the more powerful this particular ant is — in particular large amounts, it's said that this ant becomes psychic. Yeah, an _ant_ can gain enough mental capacity to become _psychic._

There's the Mondo Mole, a giant mole that's supposedly even more powerful than a _bear._ Its claws are apparently so sharp, that it can slice through one with ease. Children are often told when they are young that teddy bears are the _victims_ of the Mondo Mole, and that their spirit _possesses_ the teddy bear so they can have a body again.

The Trillionage Sprout is the next one — as the name suggests, it's a sprout that, according to legend, managed to live for a _trillion_ years. Wait a minute... that's older than _I_ am! By a factor of... _2000!_

And somehow, it _never_ managed to get past the sprout stage... I have _no_ idea how on Earth that's _possible..._

Next up, is Shrooom!. Yes, the _'!'_ is part of its name.

There's a certain species of mushroom that are incredibly rare... in fact, I only know of _two_ locations where they grow — in a certain cave in Winters and on an island _far_ from civilisation...

But these mushrooms... they can cause the most _crippling_ hallucinations known to _gods._ They're so... _terrifying,_ that they've driven people to commit _suicide_ from the visions alone. It's a small mercy that they take a long time to grow and that they don't grow in common areas...

However, according to legend, _somehow,_ one of these mushrooms managed to gain _sentience._ They became able to _move,_ able to _think..._ and most of all, able to grow its _own_ mushrooms to use against people, with all their effects — _including_ the hallucinations.

Then, the Plague Rat of Doom, a rat the size of a chair, which has deadly venom running through its teeth, believed in medieval times to be the source of all _disease._

That idea came from a rather infamous disease that was connected to rats — about 700 years ago, a deadly pandemic ran rampant through Foggyland, and became known as _'the Heaven's Scourge',_ as it was believed to be a curse from _God_ for humanity's evil.

Hey, don't look at _me,_ I wasn't alive then!

This disease killed _millions_ of people, and no one could figure out what was causing it at the time — but they _did_ figure out that the rats had _something_ to do with it, and believed that these rats had a _leader._

Of course, in the future, we found out the rats were carrying bacteria — but how _did_ that bacteria come into _existence?_

Well, some say it could have only come from a _plague_ rat... of _doom._

Next up, there's Thunder and Storm. See, there was once an incredibly powerful thunderstorm that raged through Deep Darkness — in fact, that's _why_ the area got that name, because the storm put the place into an eternal darkness.

The storm raged on for 100 years, causing the seas to change significantly — it's almost _impossible_ to sail from Scaraba to Deep Darkness now _because_ the storm changed the seas so much.

It was also impossible to fly over there, because of the storm, and even though the storm has long since ended, it's still considered a bad omen to fly above the skies of Deep Darkness.

In fact, your only way of getting there is to _teleport,_ or to use a submarine, which bypasses some of the dangerous parts.

However, when the storm ended, legends say that the spirit of the storm lived on, in an entity made of two parts... Thunder, a being which struck with the speed of lightning, and Storm, a being which struck with the intensity of a hurricane.

These two spirits supposedly still haunt the skies above Scaraba and Deep Darkness to this day, resting in the clouds near Dalaam, and it's believed that they are responsible for all the storms around that area to this day.

Next is perhaps the most peculiar one... the Electro Spector, a strange bipedal creature whose body had hardened to the consistency of _metal._

The thing is, no one, including _myself,_ can be quite sure exactly how this creature came into existance... however, it bears more than just a passing resemblance to the _Fobbies._

My _best_ guess is that it was born from multiple Fobbies that combined into one being, seeing as this creature emits strange frequencies which disrupt PSI, something Fobbies are rather _familiar_ with.

And finally, arguably the _scariest_ of the lot... the Carbon Dog, a hound that supposedly was born from the depths of _Hell._ The hound's very skin was comprised of radioactive carbon and phosphorus, leading to its body being _set on fire_ when it was exposed to sunlight. It became wreathed in flames, and became able to summon fire from the fiery pit from whence it came.

It was a cruel, merciless creature that guarded its territory fiercely, going so far as to purposefully burn _itself_ in desperate times, turning its outer layer into one of _diamond,_ becoming as durable as the material itself... I wonder how much it would be worth.

Supposedly, it could even turn things into diamond with its _bite_ — holy _shit,_ I _want_ this dog! Imagine having a pet that can spit fire, is a good guard, and has what is basically an OP version of the Midas Touch!

But, yes, _those_ are the 8 Mythical Beasts.

Scientists and historians have long debated the existence of these creatures, and how they could have come into existence. So, like the Magypsies, you may be wondering, do _I_ know if they exist?

I _do... but_ I'll keep that one to myself — why _spoil_ the mystery? After all, they wouldn't be very _'mythical'_ if I ruined it.

Sorry... that was quite long... but it's quite fun to go down memory lane. Especially for me... because memories are all I have...

The two decided to try out the new selection of characters — Ness went with the Titanic Ant and Lucas with the Electro Spector.

And so, the two began dueling with their respective characters, with precise inputs, calculated movements and intense thinking — HAHAHA!

_Nope._

Ness and Lucas were what you might call _'filthy casuals',_ so they fought simply for fun, each winning and losing some rounds.

Perhaps they were a little sloppy — heck, make that _very_ sloppy, but hey, they were having fun. And isn't that all that matters?

"Oh, this has been great, Ness! We've gotta do this more often!"

"Yeah, we really should! It's just been non - stop stress recently, but you gotta know when to take a step back and unwind. That's something you _and_ Paula aren't very good at."

"Well... we're hard workers... maybe to a fault..."

"Yeah... say, fancy something to eat?"

"Really? They serve _food_ here?"

"Yeah, they do! Mind you, it's not like _gourmet_ food or anything, but it's certainly edible."

"Sure, why not?"

The two went to a little snack stand, deciding to get some cheese fries, combining Ness's love for fries with Lucas's love for cheese.

I must say, I _detest_ cheese fries. It's messy, it's disgusting, and... I just don't like _cheese._

_And_ it's _another_ good way of developing coronary heart disease.

Nevertheless, the boys seemed to enjoy themselves, despite their sloppy eating, which resulted in them getting a little bit of cheese on themselves.

"Hey, Lucas, you've got some cheese on the side of your cheek."

"Do I? Let me get that..."

"Nah, it's still there."

"Oh... well, what about now?"

_"Still_ there."

"Urgh... _now?"_

"You're _really_ bad at this... here, let me help you."

With his index finger, Ness gently swiped across Lucas's cheek, making the blonde shiver in ecstasy, before Ness licked the cheese of his finger, in a manner that wasn't exactly _platonic..._ at least, not to _Lucas._

"There you go."

"Thank you..."

_"Oh my God! What did he... what?! Is he... what?! Why did he do that... What should I do... I... I want to..."_

Lucas sat there pondering his next move, before deciding that if Ness could do it... so could he.

He dabbed a little bit of cheese on his index finger, and took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Hey, Ness, I think you've got some cheese on you as well."

"Really?"

He _didn't —_ but Ness was _gullible_ enough to believe it, which Lucas took advantage of in this case.

"Yep. It's right... here."

Lucas touched Ness's cheek with the finger that had cheese on it, making his lie a truth.

"Oh _no,_ I think I've made it worse! Well, let me get that."

Lucas swiveled his other finger around the cheese on Ness's cheek, gently grazing his lips, before making one decisive stroke across to get all the cheese he had planted off.

He looked Ness in the eyes with the best wanton look he could muster, before sucking the cheese of his fingers, making the raven haired boy unintentionally moan.

"Well? Did I get all of it off then?"

"Yeah! Ah... are you... are you enjoying the fries then?"

"Yep! There's quite a lot of them though... I'm not sure if we can finish them all! In fact, everywhere seems to serve a lot of food!"

"Is it not like that in Tazmily?"

"No... the portions there are certainly smaller, though they were still filling... in fact, I remember one place which uses to serve the _sweetest_ dumplings, delivered with the most sincere _smiles._ I remember we'd go there occasionally..."

Lucas's voice trailed off, leaving a wistful look of nostalgia on his face which Ness took note of, realizing how Lucas felt.

"You miss it, don't you?"

"Yeah... I do. I _like_ Onett, really, I _do!_ But... it's just not home for me. I... I wanna move back there when I'm older but..."

"But?"

"I'm _scared,_ Ness. Scared that I'll lose all the friends I've made here. Cause we won't be close anymore. You'll forget me and then... you'll move on. Move on and make new friends."

"Lucas... I will _never_ forget you. You are the friend I wished I always had, the friend I thought Pokey was... but I was wrong. I will never forget that. And as long you remember that, I will always be your friend. _Always."_

"... promise?"

_"Promise."_

"Thank you... it... it means a lot to me..."

_"More than you can ever know..."_

Ness laughed one of his richest laughs, a laugh that only made Lucas want to hear more of it.

"You're welcome! But hey, this is getting a little bit gloomy, isn't it! Let's get back to the fun... is there anything else you've got your eye on doing?"

Resisting his mind's first thought to say _'you',_ Lucas gave his reply.

"No... not really..."

But that was also another lie, and a more poorly concealed one on Lucas's part, because while saying that, he was looking elsewhere.

Ness looked at Lucas and quickly traced his line of sight over to over to where two people were, singing with subpar quality on the karaoke.

"Ahh... I should have guessed... you've always liked singing! So, you wanna give it a shot then?"

Lucas winced inwardly, realizing Ness had quite literally seen _right_ through him.

"I'll... I'll _pass..._ I'm a little nervous of doing something like _that..."_

"You're _scared?_ But _why?_ You're a _great_ singer, Lucas — that's why you're in the choir!"

"I _am_... but I like doing that, because I'm with _other_ people there. I'm not doing it by _myself."_

"I get it... so what you're saying is that, if you weren't alone up there, you'd go on the karaoke?"

"Well... I guess... yeah, I suppose I would?"

"Great! Let's go then!"

"What?!"

"You said that you'd feel more comfortable with someone else up there, right? Well, I'll come up there with you!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! After all, how could I pass up a front row seat to your great performance?"

"Great? I think you're a bit off..."

"Hm, I guess you're right... it _won't_ be great... it will be _excellent!_ The finest performance that this arcade, _nay,_ that this _world_ will ever bear witness to!"

_"Now_ you're just being _silly."_

"Alright, maybe. But, we'll never know whose right if you stay _here..."_

Lucas smiled, realizing what Ness had just done. He thought about it a little, before deciding to give it a shot. After all, what's the _worst_ that could happen?"

"Oh... okay, fine, you win! I'll _do_ it."

"Woo!"

Ness and Lucas waited until the people on the karaoke had finished their performance, before taking their place, looking at the list of songs.

"So which one of these do you wanna do?"

"Well, I'm not sure... I've heard of a few of these songs, and they are _good..._ but they don't really appeal to me."

"Hm... well, that's a shame..."

"I'll keep looking. There's gotta be something I like..."

And after a minute or so of looking, Lucas _did_ find something that he liked... but, he wouldn't be able to _do_ it.

Because he couldn't do it _alone._

"Hey, Ness... I think I've found a song I wanna do."

"Let's see then!"

Lucas pointed to the song in question, to which Ness looked both interested and confused at.

"Oh, I've _heard_ this song! It's a great one... _Bein' Friends_... my sister and I both really like it! But, wait... isn't this usually sung as a _duet?"_

"Oh _yeah_... it _is_... so I guess I'd need someone else to sing it with me. It's a shame — I _really_ wanted to do it... but, I _guess_ I just won't be able to..."

Ness started to groan, realizing just _what_ Lucas was getting at.

"Oh no... _don't_ do this..."

"Do _what,_ Ness?"

While Lucas replied with a voice and face that seemed to convey pure innocence, both of them knew _exactly_ what he was doing — weaponizing said pure _innocence._

_"Please_ , Ness? Please, please, please, please, _please?"_

"Lucas, I... you know I'm not nearly as good a singer as _you_ are... and it would probably be a lot worse with me..."

"Ness... do you know why I like to sing? It's not because I'm good at it... it's because I _enjoy_ it. It's because I love to sing these beautiful songs, and share them with others! And... there's nothing as fun than to enjoy a song... with someone _else."_

"Well... _urghhh..._ I can _never_ refuse anything that you ask, _can_ I? But, in that case... I'd be _happy_ to sing with you."

"Are you sure?"

_"Definitely._ I just hope I don't cause everyone to go deaf..."

"Well, you can't be much worse than the people who were up here before us!"

"I guess you've got a point there. So, let's do it!"

"Okay!"

Lucas and Ness each grabbed a microphone, preparing themselves for this.

Both were very nervous, although for different reasons — Ness was nervous because, as he said, he wasn't a particularly good singer.

Lucas, however, was nervous for different reasons. He knew this song _very_ well, and had chosen it for a specific reason... but he wondered if Ness would think the same.

There was only one way to find out.

With heavy hesitation, Lucas started the song, a few people turning to watch the two.

As the song started, and the guitars in the song begun to play, Lucas started to regret his decision. He... he couldn't... he... he couldn't do _this!_

The anxiety started to kick in and Lucas started sweating in nervousness.

But suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking to see Ness smiling beside him.

_"I... I can do this... I can do this! And... I'll do it for you..."_

With a little bit more courage, Lucas held his microphone tightly, and the music started to change, he began to sing.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSshQu9rQLc>

_"When you are happy with laughter to spare,_  
_Fun is twice as fun with someone to share."_

As Lucas finished his line, Ness took over, singing the next set.

_"When you are lonely and full of despair,_  
_Things aren't have as bad when someone else cares."_

The two continued this song and dance, alternating between who sung...

_"Maybe now, you have figured it out,"_

_"That's what bein' a friend is about!"_

_"When you're looking for a shoulder you can cry on..."_

_"Won't you think about me?"_

_"When you're looking for someone you can rely on..."_

_"Don't you ever doubt me!"_

... before continuing in unison —

_"I'll be there, someway, somehow,_  
_That's what's bein' friends is about!"_

A few people had gathered round to watch Ness and Lucas while they were singing — evidently, the two were a step up in quality from everyone else.

Taking a deep breath, Ness decided to lead into the next section.

_"When you grow restless and want room to breathe,_  
_I will give you all the space that you need."_

_"And when you're ready for my company,_  
_I will come around, just call on me."_

_"Maybe now you have figured it out,"_

_"That's what bein' a friend is about!"_

_"When you need someone who feels the way you do,"_

_"Won't you think about me?"_

_"Someone who can pick you up when you are blue,"_

_"Don't you ever doubt me!"_

_"I'll be there someway somehow,_  
_That's what bein' friends is about!"_

The song changed key to a harsher one, but it didn't deter the two friends from continuing, Lucas leading this time.

_"I'm your friend, till the end..._  
_Count on me."_

_"In the sunshine and the rain,_  
_Paradise and back again._  
_Count on me."_

_"Let me be a friend in need,_  
_Let me be a friend indeed._  
_Count on me."_

By now, Ness and Lucas had managed to attract a bit of a crowd, and yet neither of them felt any more nervous then they did before, carrying on with added energy.

_"And if you ask me, you know that it's true;_  
_There is not a thing that I will not do!"_

_"I'll follow you to the ends of the earth,_  
_That's how much I think our friendship is worth!"_

_"Maybe now you have figured it out,"_

_"That's what bein' a friend is about!"_

_"When there's something that you just don't understand,"_

_"Won't you think about me?"_

_"I'll be more than glad to lend a helping hand."_

_"Don't you ever doubt me!"_

_"I'll be there someway, somehow,_  
_That's what bein friends is about!"_

_"I'll be there someway, somehow,_  
_That's what bein friends is about!"_

The song slowed down, entering its final parts, with Ness lowering his voice a few octaves to nail the tone.

_"Tell me all your secrets..."_

_"I will swear to keep them."_

_"Let me know your problems..."_

_"I will help you solve them."_

_"When your heart is aching..."_

_"I will stop it breaking."_

_"When you are in danger..."_

_"I am your guardian angel."_

_"I will stand beside you..."_

_"Be the one to guide you."_

_"When your dreams are crumblin..."_

_"Call me, I'll come runnin'."_

_"That's what friends are all about."_

As the song came to its close, the two psychics finished singing together, looking at one another, unspoken words passing through their eyes.

Ness opened his mouth to try and actually say something, but he was interrupted by the applause behind him and Lucas. The crowd that had gathered started cheering a little for them — it was very modest and certainly nothing _major,_ but it was still enough to get both psychics feeling a little proud of their performance.

_"You see, Ness? There's your proof that you're not as bad at this as you think you are."_

_"Well... maybe you're right, but don't sell yourself short! They aren't just clapping for me — they're clapping for you as well!"_

The two of them decided to get down, letting some of the people watching them have a try, who were more eager to do after the performance they'd just witnessed.

"So... is there anything you wanna do, Ness?"

"Nah... I'm cool doin' whatever you wanna."

"Well, in that case, I think I've pretty much done everything. Let's leave then."

"Alright."

And so, the two left to go below the cloudy skies above Onett once again, making their way north to their homes.

And as they did so, one of the psychics was plagued with thoughts — but for once, it _wasn't_ Lucas.

No, _this_ time, it wa _s Ness._

He wasn't sure why... but he started to feel... _uncomfortable_ around Lucas.

_"Why... why would I feel like that around him? I don't hate him — he's my best friend! So... is it something else..."_

But Ness was certainly feeling a little uneasy, no, _giddy,_ around him, a feeling he'd never really felt before around his friend.

In fact, it's a feeling that was similar, and yet so different to how he felt around _Paula._

_"You know what, it's probably just the arcade getting to me... we did spend a lot of time in there and all. Either that, or Lucas's singing — cause he's really good at it!"_

And with that, Ness rounded off his thoughts and deciding that made sense, he continued to walk with his friend.

Soon, the two reached the library, where their paths would split.

"So... thanks for this, Ness. I think you were right... I _do_ need to learn how to let down a little.

"You're not the best at it... but hey, that's what I'm here for! It's good to have a little fun!"

Awkward silence.

"So... I better get going... see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah... bye, Lucas."

Ness made a move forwards, intending to hug Lucas, as he usually did, but he stopped halfway through, having second thoughts... for some reason.

He didn't know why, but he suddenly started to feel nervous about it, and stopped, awkwardly trying to change his motion into a pat on the back and a wave goodbye.

Said awkward motion wasn't lost on Lucas, who noticed it, and was a tad perplexed by Ness's odd movements.

Still, he decided not to dwell on it, as he headed in the opposite direction that Ness did, back to his house.

When he arrived, his mother greeted him warmly as always, relieved to see that he was fine, and Claus soon came running down the stairs to greet his brother as well.

"Hey, here he is, how was your _'date'?"_

"Yes, very funny... it went fine! Played a few games, ate some food, sung some tunes... you know, it was alright."

"Alright, alright, cool, cool... but what _really_ happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on! What're we talkin' here? First base? Second base? _Third_ base?"

"No! You and your... is your mind just a _vortex_ of depraved sexual _thoughts?"_

"Maybe... but I could say the same for you!"

"Maybe... but at least I don't _say_ it!"

"Maybe... but... well, actually, you got me _there..."_

"We were just having some fun together, in a completely _platonic,_ non - romantic way. And it was great."

"Huh... you know, I'm _glad_ and all... but you're usually kinda _depressed_ after hanging with Ness. What's changed?"

Lucas thought about it for a moment or two, before giving an answer.

"I dunno... I still _like_ Ness, but... we can still have fun the way things are, can't we? And it's great. It might not be _quite_ what I wanted... but it was still nice. And... I'm happy with that."

And Lucas could say that _genuinely._ Sure, things may not have ended with Ness and him together, as he may have _hoped..._ but that didn't mean they couldn't still have fun.

Their friendship was one to be admired, to be cherished, because it was a _rare_ one, the kind that you didn't see very often, one that gave a joy to be envied by others. And Lucas was able to get a _lot_ of joy of it himself, a joy he didn't think he'd get anywhere else.

Why?

Because there's no joy in life that's quite like simply bein' friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... so, this was gonna be shorter, right? It was supposed to be, but... you know what? I'm just gonna say that I make no promises on how long any of these chapters will be, because that's likely going to be a promise that I'm going to break, like I do with every promise I make...
> 
>   
> Right then, let us begin the obligatory section where I start explaining all the stuff I did.  
> 
> 
> First off, we're actually getting some plot with the whole gangs in Fourside! Well, a plot beyond 'Lucas wants to reenact a bunch of Explicit rated Nesscas fics on AO3 in real life', which, don't get me wrong, it is a good plot, but it's one that has been done before, sooo... trying to broaden things out here.
> 
> Next up, breakfast in the family. The family's favourite food are omelets, of course, but I like to imagine they each have something else they like. I mean, they can't just have omelets every day, right?
> 
> Flint gets nut cookies (I was inspired by Chapter 1 of Mother 3), while Lucas gets spinach cheese pockets — that sounds weird, but I imagine Lucas would be the kind of person to like something healthy like this (they are actually quite nice), and hey, Lucas loves cheese.  
>    
> Hinawa and Claus's foods, croissants and bacon pancakes, were actually taken from my own mother and brother, who are partial to those breakfast dishes respectively, and I think they work well for these characters. There's also the irony in Claus eating bacon as well.
> 
>   
> Ah, and speaking of Hinawa, I've gotta say, I loved writing her interaction with Lucas regarding hugs. I see her as really knowing her children well, and being able to help them really well. I can't really describe it, but if you read that part, you'll know what I mean. It makes me hate/love Mother 3 all the more for killing her so early.
> 
>   
> And of course, the songs! For those wondering, the song that Lucas sings is Mother 3's Love Theme — the lyrics are the rough translation of the Japanese ones. Bein' Friends is fairly obvious — it's a song I associate more heavily with Ninten and Lloyd, but it works for Ness and Lucas as well. Plus, Lloyd won't be making a prominent appearance in this fic... sorry, Lloyd fans! 
> 
> While I'm at it, I take issue with two of the lines in this song. The first is 'fun is twice as fun with someone to share' — reason being is that it sounds redundant. I think 'things are twice as fun' would have worked better, since you get some nice repetition with the next line. 
> 
> I was tempted to change it... but I decided not to, because I'd likely have a bunch of people asking me if I think I'm better than the people who wrote this song, to which my answer would be no, I don't think I am...
> 
>   
> The other line is one at the end — 'I'll stop it breaking'. This isn't an issue with the lyrics actually... but after a certain... incident, I will never hear this line as anything other than 'I'll be there to break you'... which changes the meaning a little...
> 
> I may do some sort of dark reprise lyrics to Bein' Friends then... I've already done some lyrics for Because I Love You... maybe one day (also, I missed the 'way oh way oh' part because it would look dumb — in fact, it looks dumb here!).
> 
>   
> And... then, the Mythical Beasts, or the Sanctuary Guardians as we will know them — I prefer that name, but within the context of this fic, it doesn't make sense, so Mythical Beasts was my best substitute... even though it sounds really lame.
> 
> I like to imagine that each of them has a legend to them, and you can tell I had fun writing them — particularly the Plague Rat, where I based it off some real life events and the Carbon Dog, where I got to use some chemistry. While I'm at it, I very much regret not naming the Smash rip off 'Super Bash Sisters', cause then I could have gotten a Kid Icarus reference in there... oh well...
> 
>   
> And finally, there's the Narrator's encoded note. If you read Chapter 15 of Behind The Mask, you'll know that I quite like puzzles such as this, but this one's a lot more difficult — at least I hope, but I imagine there's someone out whose figured it out in the time it took them to read this chapter...
> 
> Still, you're very welcome to try and figure out what it means, and if you can, it will give you some rather interesting details.
> 
>   
> I will reveal the way to decode it in a future chapter (along with a translation), but once again, figure it out if you can — just don't drive yourself crazy trying to do so! 
> 
>   
> Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, leave a comment if you think I’ve done something wrong (because I probably have), and have a nice day!


	6. A Tale Of Marriage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I was hoping I wouldn't have to put more warnings up so quickly. Alas, such is the fate of a writer who delights in the pain and suffering of others...
> 
> There are two rather large sections of this chapter that are focused on people with different sexualities, with a lot of comments that are boarding on, if not outright are, hate speech. 
> 
> Either way, I condone and agree with exactly none of it.

Oh, you're _back..._

... well, let's get on with this shit show then. Hm? You were expecting some sort of _grand_ introduction sequence? Yeah, sorry, but nope, I actually finished all my paperwork for once so... yeah... none of _that_ to rant about.

Also... I'm crap at introductions. But hey, who knows, maybe one day I'll make some sort of ridiculously cheesy opening theme tune — all the best shows seem to have them these days!

No? I should _just_ stick to narrating?

_*sigh*_... as you wish.

Okay then, last time... well, quite a lot went down, didn't it? Lucas's family was enjoying a regular Sunday morning, with some _excellent_ food, courtesy of Lucas, only for that morning to take a sinister turn, when they were interrupted by a certain news flash.

The topic of discussion? A certain _gang_ in Fourside, which recently had been committing more and more violent crimes recently, culminating into one particularly gruesome act, where they completely _mutilated_ a man, going far beyond just _killing_ him, and eventually tying his body to the sign of the Topolla Theater, presumably as some sort of twisted message.

It's been quite a while since I've seen such an act of _cruelty..._ my heart goes out to this man's family.

Still, at least the rest of the day wasn't so grim, as Ness came to Lucas's house for their _'date'_ at the arcade, as Claus called it.

And with many races, games and a duet, the two found themselves having more fun than ever — particularity for Lucas.

But now, the weekend was over, and it was Monday, so the dreaded time for all was here... _school._

Lucas got up, making his usual preparations — though without Claus for once, as he _was_ suspended for the week.

"You'll be fine, won't you?"

"I mean, Pokey isn't here either, is he? I should be alright then..."

"Yeah, but there are a lot of assholes out there, Lucas! And Pokey isn't the only one whose likely to give you grief... even if he _is_ the _most_ likely one."

"I'll be alright. What are you planning to do then?"

"Well, I'm grounded as of today, aren't I? So, I can't go out... I suppose I'll do some work? I dunno, I do have a lot of homework to catch up on."

"But then again, you _always_ do."

"Fair enough... maybe I'll help Mom with some of the stuff around the house. As you said, she does a lot for us."

"Yep! Oh yeah, you'll need to know what work you'll have to catch up on, won't you?"

"I'm getting emails for all the classes, so, should be fine."

"Alright... see ya then!"

"Have a nice day!"

And with a parting hug to Claus that Lucas gave purely because he knew his brother hated them, Lucas left towards school, along the path he'd walked many times.

Though the sun was out and shone down on Lucas, the day was still rather cold — funny how that works. Either way, it was a good thing that he'd brought his coat, for winter was approaching quickly.

In fact, the leaves had fallen off most of the trees, leaving the ground covered in a multitude of red, orange and brown, with Lucas gently kicking his way through a small pile of them as he walked.

Though it wasn't his favourite season, Lucas had always had an appreciation for this time of year, admiring the cycle of how trees shedded their leaves in preparation for the cold seasons ahead, the wind blowing the leaves away.

But the wind was perhaps the only company Lucas had on his walk today, as Claus's absence left a noticeable silence in the air, and Lucas didn't meet Ness on his walk either.

Lucas would never admit it to his egotistical brother, but these morning walks with him was something that he greatly enjoyed, as talking with Claus always had a bit of a soothing effect on him, even if he was being mercilessly mocked by his twin most of the time.

It was the fact that he was within such familiar company that made Lucas feel much calmer, and ready to take on the challenges of the day... but of course, Claus wasn't _here_ to do that today.

Sometimes Lucas wondered... was he perhaps a little too dependent on his brother? They were twins, after all, and were virtually _inseparable_ from each other — save for school, where the two were in different classes to avoid the teachers getting confused.

But Claus has always been the more... _driven_ of the two. Claus wasn't afraid of... well, _anything,_ and while that wasn't necessarily a _good_ thing, it made Claus a force to be reckoned with.

People didn't mess with Claus, because they knew the lengths he'd be willing to go to make those that messed with him, or anyone he cared about, regret that decision.

But Lucas wasn't like that. Lucas didn't have that strength behind him. He was a soft spoken, mild mannered boy, in addition to having a sexuality that wasn't simply _straight,_ and in high school, such qualities _rarely_ translated to people _not_ messing you.

In fact, quite the opposite — as Claus had very accurately stated, Lucas didn't receive spite just from Pokey in school, he received it from _many_ others. Pokey was just the most vehement about it, due to his own vendetta against Lucas.

Because of all that, it wouldn't be very inaccurate to say that Lucas was near the bottom of the food chain in school... and those on the bottom get picked off very quickly.

Upon reaching school, Lucas headed to the second floor, where he headed to his Chemistry class.

This lesson was taught by a rotund man in an orange suit, the rather appropriately named Mr _Oranges,_ who certainly resembled his fruity namesake.

Incidentally, he and Mr Apples went to the same university, and were known to be fierce rivals throughout their time there. Mr Apples choose to pursue physics, mostly due to his interest in certain areas of theoretical physics, such as time travel.

Mr Oranges chose to pursue chemistry, due to his interest in... _stranger_ matters. He dreamed of being the first man to be able to _unboil_ an _egg,_ a process that... actually could have a lot of scientific application if done, despite how nonsensical it sounds.

Both of them graduated from that university, and eventually found their way to Onett High, as teachers, where they continued their fierce rivalry.

Mr Oranges was certainly a capable teacher, and _smart_ for his young age... but unfortunately, his intelligence didn't exactly translate into _kindness._

Yes, he was more than just a _little_ smug about his intelligence, to the annoyance of most, if not all of his students, some of whom had decided to engage in rather... _unsafe_ activities in rebellion.

Some more free advice from an deity — _don't_ place a lit splint next to an _open_ gas tap! Making your own flamethrower is _not_ worth the third degree burns...

Thankfully, the lesson passed by with no such incidents, seeing as the class was just focusing on basic theory work.

Come lunchtime, and Ness and Lucas were both holding their brains in collective agony over what they were trying to do. They had agreed to a study session with Jeff... but the Winters student clearly had a better grasp over electromagnetism then they did, which made his attempts to teach them rather difficult.

Still, they felt they had learned a little bit more and spent some of their time discussing the gang in Fourside — it was quite the hot topic among _all_ the students, before all three of them headed in separate directions, towards their next lessons.

As Lucas headed off to his Maths class, he found himself getting a little lost with his thoughts... so lost that, he didn't quite notice running into a boy ahead of him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

The boy turned around, looking at Lucas.

"You tryin' to start something?"

"No, no, I, I'm not, it was just an accident!"

But the boy didn't really care at this point, and shoved Lucas against a wall, some of his friends having turned around to watch what was going down.

"Yeah... you are! You're that gay ass boy, aren't you? Look at you... you think you're so special, don't you?"

"No, no, no, I, I don't think that at all!"

"Shut up! Fucking gays like you... the fuck are you even doing here anyway?! Boys... where does he belong?"

"In a prison! He'll find more gay twats there! Right at home!"

"Nah, he goes in a fucking asylum! Prison's too good for him!"

"Just bury him! He can't be left alive!"

The boy turned around to Lucas, looking at him once more.

"I like that last one. How about we try it?!"

With a brief spurt of glee, the boy punched Lucas in the chest, over and over.

Lucas... Lucas didn't know... he...

He could have fought back. He could have. He might have even put up a good effort.

But there were six of them, and just one of him. Even if he did, he wouldn't have won. And even if he did... what was the point?

What was the point in fighting back? It wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't change them. It wouldn't change him. It was just mean that there was more pain overall, pain amongst seven, as opposed to one.

And what was the point in that? The greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people. The least amount of suffering for the least amount of people. That was the creed that Lucas lived his life by.

Only one person had to feel any suffering here. And only one person deserved it, didn't they? Him. So why fight back. Just take it. Just take it all, and ignore it. Because then no one else gets hurt. Only you do. And that's the best solution, isn't it?

That's what means to love those you hate.

"See, guys, here's your proof — the gay really does make you weaker! Fight back, why don't ya?! Cause the gay means you can't! Man, I almost feel sorry for you..."

The rest of them started chanting in unison, "GAY! GAY! GAY! GAY!"

Interference Clause, Interference Clause, Interference Clause... _fuck..._

“GAY! GAY! GAY!”

But thankfully, a second later, the chanting was interrupted by a different voice, one that cleaved through the chanting like a knife through wet _paper._

"Oh, who the fuck _cares?!"_

The boys around Lucas, as well as the blonde psychic himself, all looked around to where a certain pink haired tomboy was. She wore the same blue hoodie she did everyday, and was leaning against one of the walls, having watched the affair for a while, bearing the rough and brazen look she was known for.

But right now, as she took a few steps forward, that face of hers was rapidly changing to a scowl.

"First, get your _fucking_ facts right — he's a _bisexual!_ There's a difference! God, you'd think morons like you would at least get your insults right!"

"You calling us dumb?!"

_"Nooo,_ guys, you're all the next _Einsteins!"_

It took them a second longer than it really should have to realise that Kumatora was being sarcastic, but when they did...

"Ha! At least we'd make a more useful contribution than this gay here!"

"Yeah, you know, you’re probably right — I hear they're looking for people to _cut_ up so they can see how a _bastard's_ brain works."

At that, the boys all raised their fists in preparation to get physical, but Kumatora simply replied by raising one of her own.

"Don't bother. And since you all love using _'gay',_ here's something you oughta understand. When you mess with _one_ gay..."

With a flicker of fire, her hand became enveloped in flames.

"You mess with us _all."_

The boys, taking a quick glance of fear at each other, wisely decided to make a tactical retreat and not mess with the fire wielding psychic in front of them. They scampered off as quickly as they arrived, leaving a disappointed Kumatora behind them.

"Lousy _bastards..._ why do they _never_ stay and fight..."

She turned to the blonde behind her, who was looking at her both in awe and fear over what she'd just done.

"You're... um... ah, fuck... sorry, I'm _crap_ with names."

"It's... it's Lucas... and... you're Kumatora, right?

"Haha, yeah, I'm surprised you know! Paula tell you then?"

"Yeah... ah... thanks for... that. I didn't expect it... at all."

"Eh, you're welcome. No big deal... but I gotta ask. Why do you put up with it?"

"Put up with it?"

"Yeah. Give the bastards the punch in the face that they deserve. And I saw what you did for Paula back on Friday... it's not like you're incapable of it."

"I... when it's other people... that's when I take an issue... but if it's just me, then... what's the point? I mean, it's just unnecessary violence, isn't it?"

"Unnecessary violence... to be honest, that's a bit of an oxymoron for me. There's never any situation where violence can't help you out."

"No... but it just leads to more pain, doesn't it?"

"For them? Oh hell yeah, but that's kinda the point?"

"I guess, but, what if there was a way for only one person to get hurt?"

"Well... I guess that would be the best way then."

"I've... I've found that way."

"Really? What is it?"

"It's to just... let them. Let them say what they want about me. Cause then... I'm the only person being hurt. No one has to feel anything."

"That is not healthy! You can't just... _take_ all of this, just because you don't want anyone else to get hurt!"

"Why not? It's worked so far."

"Yeah, it's worked out great for _them!_ They can do whatever they want, and there's no threat of retaliation. But what about _you?"_

"What about _me?"_

"What if you crack, and you can't handle it?"

"It's... never happened to me yet."

"Then it's only a matter of time. You're gonna breakdown, and then what?"

"I... I guess I never really thought about it."

"Yeah, maybe because you never actually be in danger of that. I've heard some things from Paula, and I wondered... why haven't you broken down yet? But then I realized why, and let's be real here — you would rather _avoid_ a fight, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, of course."

"Haha... exactly. And you think it's all unfair, isn't it? Unfair, that you keep being bullied like this, don't you?"

"Well... yes."

"I'm not gonna say it isn't, cause... it _is._ It is unfair. But... you could have stopped it. You could've stood up and done something. But you didn't. Others did, but you didn't. And you know, that all proves one thing about you, doesn't it? It proves that they're right. You are weak, and you hide behind others stronger than you."

"I... I am not!"

"Try saying that _without_ sounding like a petulant child, and maybe I'll believe ya. You don't stand up for yourself, because you're too weak to do so, and you rely on others to do it for ya. And yeah, it's worked out so far... but what if it stops? What if there's no one else to be there, and then, you crumble? And believe me, the way you're working, it's gonna happen."

"I... I guess you're right... but... it's not like I can do anything about it, right?"

"Not like that you can't. That way of thinking won't help you at all."

"Then... how do I change?"

"How? I don't know. I don't know you, do I? But you do. I saw that fight on Friday, and for _one_ moment during it... I saw you as a different person. And you know, that guy... that guy was no pussy, I can tell ya that. I guess what I'm saying is... do something. See ya."

And with that, Kumatora slung her bag over her shoulders and walked down the corridor, leaving Lucas with many thoughts.

For the rest of the day, Lucas was virtually on autopilot. He had a Maths lesson, but he didn't really need to listen, and just did the various questions their teacher set.

His thoughts certainly kept him busy enough though.

He wondered to himself... was Kumatora right?

Initially, he simply denied it. She was wrong, wasn't she? Yeah, she was brash and just being a dick to Lucas, kicking him when he was done. Her words was just harsh, and he was right — it was unfair that he was being bullied, and there was nothing he could do.

But all throughout that, there was a voice in the back of his mind that was constantly bothering at him. A faint voice that knew that in truth... Kumatora had a point.

He _was_... weak, and the only reason that he'd managed to survive this long was due to the presence of people stronger, like Ness and Claus.

Yes, he was bullied a lot in school, but... couldn't he do something about it, rather than having to rely on others to something for him? He was always relying on others for everything.

And Lucas felt _guilty_ for that. He felt pathetic that he was unable to stand up for himself, and had to rely on others so it for him.

But Lucas had never liked conflicts. He couldn't find it in him to escalate the situation, so he simply took the abuse, because at least then, no one else but him would get hurt.

It was a self induced cycle, where Lucas would be abused by others, and he'd take it, to avoid escalating the situation, only for more people to see how accepting he was of it, so they piled more into him.

He only wished he could find a way to break that cycle... but cycles are never easy to break.

He was only attracting more and more abusers as time went on... and he knew, that what Kumatora said would come to pass. One day, he wouldn't be able to take anymore. One day, he'd end up running out of steam, like a star reaching the end of its life.

But he wouldn't be the kind that exploded in a grand supernova, something to be marveled at... instead, he'd be the kind that simply collapsed inwards on himself, from the gravity of all the abuse he'd taken.

What would be left then? Just something broken and empty.

And of course, he didn't want that... but that's exactly where he was heading.

But what could be done about it?

The rest of the day went by before Lucas even knew it, with him making the usual trek home with Ness. Ness noticed that Lucas was looking a little bit more gloomy today, and pressed the issue a few times, but only got a despondent "I'm fine.", every time he did, so eventually he decided to stop, reasoning that Lucas would tell him when he was ready too.

When Lucas arrived home, he greeted his mom in the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom."

"Lucas! How's your day been?"

"Fine... how's Claus dealing with the suspension?"

"Rather _well,_ actually."

"Really?"

"He's actually been quite the help in the garden today! He raked all those leaves, trimmed the hedges, and mowed the lawn. I must admit, things are certainly easier for me when he's suspended... not that he _should_ be, mind you."

"Is he upstairs then?"

"I think he was doing some homework, yes."

"Thanks!"

And indeed, Claus was upstairs, though he wasn't doing any homework — no, he'd finished all of his, though his teachers would send today's set of homework a bit later.

Instead, Claus was hunched over a _Monopoly_ board, looking very carefully at the pieces on it.

It looked rather strange from Lucas's point of view though — because the board was set out for _two_ people, but Claus was the only person here and there were two pieces already _on_ the bored, so Claus wasn't setting up for Lucas either.

"Claus... uhh... _what_ are you doing?"

"Oh hey, Lucas. Isn't it obvious what I'm doing? I'm playing Monopoly."

"... with _yourself?"_

"No, I'm playing with the Narrator."

Hey, Lucas. How's your day been?

"Good, thank you... but... _what?"_

"Yeah, we've been at this... how long, Narrator?"

1 hour, 35 minutes and 53 seconds... _and_ counting.

"Yeah, it's been some time, and a real wild ride!"

"Oh? So what interesting things have been going on then?"

"What hasn't?!"

I must admit, that this is one of the most intense games of Monopoly I've ever played. Quite a lot has happened.

"Yeah! Like... oh, Lucas, do you see the east part of the board?"

"The Threed and Saturn Valley part? Yeah, I see it clear as day. There's a _lot_ of houses and hotels there..."

"Yeah, the Narrator's got that entire section under lockdown. Now basically, I got to that section once, and they owned _all_ the stuff there, no houses thankfully... but they _did_ have a shit ton of cash..."

So then it was my turn, and I started laughing like a maniac, because I knew exactly what I was gonna do. I put _three_ houses on _all_ my properties there, and jacked up the pieces as high as I could, so that when Claus rolled next turn, he'd be going _down._

"Well, you're still playing, so I imagine Claus hasn't gone down yet."

No, but _damn..._ the way he ended up dodging all of it was _so clutch._

"I rolled, and I was lucky enough to get two fours, which wasn't enough to skip the death zone all together, but it _was_ a Chance space, so I was safe for now at least."

But then, Claus took the Chance card...

"And it said to go back _ten_ spaces!"

"What did you land on?"

"It was... ah, this! The Chaos Theater, but I owned so, no biggy, but..."

"Wait a minute, you went back... so you had to do it _again?!"_

"Yep."

Now, since Claus rolled doubles, he got his next turn immediately. And he was certainly very lucky...

"Because I got double sixes! Skipped the place all together, and I was safe for another round!"

"Sounds really tense..."

It was, for _both_ of us... but that isn't even the _end._

"Yeah, I rolled doubles, so I had to roll again... but I rolled two threes... which was meant that was my third double in a row..."

"So, you got sent to jail... and that's between Onett and Twoson!"

"Yep, I payed the fine, rolled, landed on Free Parking... which meant I had to go through the Narrator's death trap again..."

... but, somehow, this guy managed to roll an _11_ and missed _all_ my spaces _and_ jail _again!_

"Wow... that _is_ clutch..."

Yeah. Nicely done, Claus — that was probably the best part of this game!

_"That?!_ Are we just gonna forget about your masterful plan to set _up_ that death trap in the first place?!"

Oh, that was pretty good as well.

"How did that go?"

Right, so, I got sent to jail, cause of a Chance card. But... I decided not to pay, as part of a gambit of mine.

"What?"

"Yeah, he didn't pay, and I was like... 'What areyou doing? Are you trying for _doubles?'"_

But, no, I wasn't hoping for that — in fact, I was hoping for the _opposite._

"So I was just confused, but I went rolled... _and_ landed on some of _their_ spaces on the next two turns, which forced me to sell some of my _houses."_

After, and _only_ after _that,_ I payed the fee, got out of jail, and landed on one of _his_ spaces... but I only payed a small amount, because he sold all the houses.

And _then,_ I revealed my masterful plan — I was _stalling,_ because if I had just gotten out at the first opportunity, then I would have had to roll, and risk landing in some of Claus's spaces which were _really_ pricey at the time. So I didn't pay, all so I could stall, all in the hopes that Claus would have to sell some of his houses.

"That is really clever!"

"It was! And I was like... _'bruh... what?!'._ That was like a... _2000_ IQ move there! Wait... is that an insult to you?"

Huh... that's a good question. I don't actually know what my IQ is — I only got a test when I was about 200 million years old, and I think it _was_ about 2000 then... but that was obviously _quite_ some time ago. Perhaps I should get one done...

"What, _gods_ can get _IQ tests?"_

Yes, we _can_ — I'll ask the Goddess of Wisdom for one.

"Wait, wait, wait, _what?!_ There's a Goddess of _Wisdom?!"_

Indeed, and she governs most matters of intelligence, if I remember, with the exception of knowledge — there's a _different_ god for that.

She's most famously known among us for being one of the three creators of an artefact that's capable of granting any mortal's _wish,_ with her section being one that represents wisdom, I believe.

She's also known for coming up with Law and Order —

"Oh, I love that series!"

No... not the _show,_ you _idiot,_ the _concept!_

"Ohhh..."

Anyway... she's known for those two things, and finally, for creating an IQ test that gods can take. As you can imagine, she scored rather _highly_ on it... I believe somewhere in the 30,000's?"

_"Fuck! 30,000?!_ How is that even _possible?!"_

Beats me. I think that's the highest score among us _all..._ I must admit, I feel rather idiotic in comparison... oh, this must be what _you_ feel, Claus..."

_"Thanks._ But that was still pretty smart!"

Meanwhile, Lucas was just sitting there on his bed, with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Something wrong, Lucas?"

"Huh? Oh no, everything's fine, I'm just still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you're playing a board game... with a _god?!"_

"No, Lucas, I'm not _just_ playing a board game with a _god,_ I'm _winning_ a board game against a _god!"_

Oh, don't _count_ on your victory just yet, Claus. There's still time for things to turn around.

"Yeah, but there's equally enough time for you to _lose_ in that time. You're in Fourside now, and that's _my_ domain."

Well... let's just hope luck's on my side.

Using telekinesis, I levitate the two die in the air, spinning them for a bit before releasing them, letting the die roll onto the table, getting a one and a three. Safe.

I land on a community chest and take a card... let's see... 'go forward four spaces'...

Alright then, one, two, three — NO! _NOOO!_

"YES! YEESSS!"

NO, NO, NO, NO, _NO! GODDAMN IT!_

"You've just landed on my Monotoli Building, with a _hotel..._ and that comes out to... _ooh..._ just a casual $20 _million!"_

I... I don't _have_ that much... in cash _or_ in properties...

"Wait... does that mean..."

No... NOOOOO!

"YES! YESSS! I WON! I _WON!_ LET'S GOOOO!"

Ohhh... how... how did I _lose?!_ I... I had this all planned out!

"Well, sorry, Narrator, but _all_ your intelligence means nothing against dumb _luck."_

Of _course,_ of _all_ the ways you _could_ have _possibly_ beaten me, it _would_ be through _dumb luck._ Ohh... well, _GG_ and all, Claus. It was fun.

"Yeah, we've gotta do this again!"

"Hey, can I play then?"

"Why not?! It'll make things more fun!"

I agree.

"Thanks! But we should probably clear all this up seeing as you're done..."

Nah, don't bother, Lucas, I've got it.

With some use of telekinesis, I pack up all the money, pieces and cards into their box, before placing it back in the twins' cupboard.

_"... wow..._ that'd make cleaning up a _lot_ easier. So, Lucas, what about you then? How was your day?"

"Yeah, fine. You know that gang in Fourside though? Everyone's talking about it."

"Not surprised — it's been quite the hot topic on all the news and stuff as well."

"Do you think that they'll be able to catch these people?"

"Honestly? I dunno. See, they _seemed_ like regular thugs, but then they did _that._ And they managed to get the body all the way up there without anyone managing to see them or anything."

"I'm still wondering how they did that... and if they were able to, then they aren't just ordinary thugs, are they?"

"Exactly. They've clearly got some brains backing up whatever they're doin'... the real question is, how much brains do they have?"

"Hm... hopefully they'll stick to Fourside then."

"Yeah. Anyway, wanna do some homework?"

_"You?_ Wanting to do _homework?"_

"Yeah, why not!"

"... who are you and what have you done with Claus?"

"Very good... let's start with Maths."

And so, the two begun their homework — but don't worry, I'm not gonna bother narrating over the two of them doing homework.

So, let's have a look at someone else, shall we?

Ness was at his house, sitting in his room over some books... doing some _homework._

Okay, _not_ him then... someone _else._

Over in Twoson, Paula was at her house... _also_ doing homework.

_No..._ you can't be serious... you can't be telling me that _everybody_ is doing homework all at the _same_ time!

Ninten... Ana... Jeff... Poo — oh my God, they _are_ all doing homework at the same time! What are the fucking _odds?!_

Wait... give me a moment... _one in 108,412?!_ The _fuck?!_

I... I'm actually gonna have to narrate Lucas and Claus doing homework, aren't I...

... so the two boys were doing maths — some calculus, as it happens.

You know, that actually reminds me... when I was young, I remember I'd watch these Eaglelandian TV shows, and you know, some of them would take place in high schools. And whenever someone was talking about Maths, they'd always say something like 'urgh, _calculus._ Calculus is, like, _soo_ difficult.'

Or instead, if you want to show that one of your high school students is the _'smart'_ one, just have the say something like 'oh, I was just doing some calculus.' And then all the other kids will be like 'woah, you're, like, _soo_ smart!' — and yes, the _'likes'_ are necessary, as much they _piss_ me off because, for some reason, high school students have _no_ understanding of basic _grammar!_

So, I remember _dreading_ the day when I would study calculus in school, because all these TV shows seemed to imply that it was _really_ hard and it would be the _bane_ of mathematics.

But... I didn't even _realize_ that I _studied_ calculus. No, really — it's _rarely_ referred to as _calculus_ in Foggyland, and it wasn't until a year after that my teacher told me what calculus is... it's just fucking _differentiation!_

And I'm like 'what the _hell?!'_ _This_ is what all the Eagleland shows said was so hard?! It's... not that bad. Now, if they were talking about the harder variants of calculus such as _implicit_ differentiation, or, god forbid, integration by _parts,_ then perhaps they'd have a point, but _no,_ they're just talking about the bare bones of calculus, and that's easy!

And _no,_ people, the fact that I'm a god does _not_ invalidate my point, since being a deity does _not_ make more intelligent than others — it simply gives me more time to _learn_ shit, since I'm _immortal_ and all.

But I learned that _shit_ at 15.

Thankfully, while ranting, Lucas had managed to finish his work, so I won't have to narrate that.

"And... done!"

"Of _course_ you're working at light speed today... can you help me with some of these?"

"Sure! Which ones?"

"Well, question 5... and 6... _and_ 7... _and_ 8... _and_ 9... and _really,_ just _all_ the ones after _that."_

"You never learn anything by having someone else do it for you, Claus. I'll be waiting for you downstairs!" 

"No, Lucas, don't leave me here! Ohhh..."

A moment of silence past, before Claus raised his head once more.

"Sooo..."

No.

"Oh, come on! I beat you in Monopoly!"

Surely then, you're clever enough to do these on your own?

"Grrr..."

And with that, have fun, Claus!

"Get back here!"

Lucas went downstairs, playing in the garden with Boney for a bit, before he went inside, Claus joining him soon after.

"Well, thank you, _dear_ brother, for _ditching_ me."

"Anytime."

With a playful shove, Claus rolled his eyes at his brother.

"I'm gonna watch some TV. Wanna join?"

"Sure! Let me just get a drink."

He get some lemonade — a fine choice, indeed, before joining his brother.

"Whatcha watching?"

"Err... nothing!"

Claus made for the remote by his side, trying to quickly change what he was watching before Lucas could see, but Lucas swiped it before he could.

"Come on, let's see!"

"I don't think you wanna watch this." replied Claus, while trying to snag the remote back.

"What? Why not?!"

"Just trust me, Lucas!" said Claus, with a frustrated voice.

He put his hands over Lucas's eyes, to block his vision, but Lucas simply got them off.

"Let me see!"

"... if you're sure..."

The two started to listen more intently to the news.

"... over a certain piece of legislation that was brought up to the Mayor, who has decided to sign it."

"This legislation is regarding the 'Marriage For All' act, which will let all people, regardless of gender or sexuality marry any other person and have said marriage be legally recognised by any place where this act has been passed."

"However, this act has earned the protest of many people, who realise that such an act would, for the first time in the history of Eagleland, allow a same - sex marriage to be legally carried out and recognised by an area."

Lucas's eyes started to widen, guessing _why_ Claus had suggested he shouldn't watch this... he didn't like where this was going, but he decided to keep watching anyway.

"Though the act has been signed by some areas, such as Summers and Twoson, other areas like Fourside have currently refused to sign this, while some like Threed and Onett are in the process of considering it, though many protest to such an act. We now go live to the Town Hall, where the protest is taking place."

The screen shifted to the Town Hall, where a number of protesters were, as well as some of the Onett Police who were trying to control the crowd. The protesters were shouting numerous phrases that were unintelligible and raising up various signs, with all kinds of _deplorable_ words written on them.

Some of them had things like 'No Marriage For Gays!', 'Why Encourage What God Has Forbidden?', and even... 'Faggots Are Maggots!'... oh, for _fuck's_ sake...

"Yes, thank you. As you can see, about 1000 or so people have gathered outside the Town Hall to protest this act. The leader of this protest, Mr Carpainter, has kindly agreed to tell us why exactly all these people have gathered here today for this. Let's speak to him now.

Indeed, there was one person near the front of the crowd wearing some blue robes, who had seemed to have organized this all, as he was currently pointing to various parts of the crowd, riling them up more. As the reporter headed towards him, Carpainter saw them and headed towards them.

"Ah, Mr Carpainter, thank you so much for agreeing to this."

"No, no problem at all, I'm always glad to educate our populace some more about matters such as these."

"Right... can you tell us how this group was created — there certainly seems to be a lot of people here!"

"Indeed, _1532_ to be precise, and I thank each and every one of them for taking the time out of their undoubtedly busy day for such a _noble_ act. But, ah, to answer your question, it was really a simple thing. When this act was first suggested, good hearted citizens like us knew that we couldn't simply let such an act pass, and well, over time, many of us grouped together."

"So, this group formed from people in Onett then?"

"Ah, no, actually! While a large majority of the people here do live in Onett, we've gathered people from Twoson as well, like myself, and some people from Threed have even decided to come all the way here! Again, it's an amazing effort."

"Like yourself? You live in Twoson then?"

"Indeed, I do."

"But Twoson _passed_ the 'Marriage For All' act just last month, did they not? Why are you protesting for the act to not be passed down in Onett then?"

"The same reason that everyone else from Twoson that is protesting here has — because we don't want any other places to make the same mistake that our town made. We may have failed to save our humble town, but we can still save these other places, and that's worth being here for! Who knows, perhaps if we do so, Twoson may decide to reverse the act themselves!"

"I see. So... if you don't mind, why exactly do you, and everyone else here protest against this act?"

"Well, I can only speak for myself here, but to put it simply... I don't feel it's right."

"You don't feel that it's _right?"_

"No. You see, firstly, we have to understand the simple fact that gays, lesbians, whatever — they're all just simply misguided. I mean, being attracted to your own gender, it just goes against all that we know about humans, and all rational."

"Such as?"

"Well, we have religion — God has dictated that man and women marry. That's all. But this act goes against that. And even if you don't believe in religion, _evolution_ itself is _against_ gays. How would we have evolved from monkeys if gays were running amok? We _couldn't_ have. A man and another man or a women and another women — they can't have children. They can't procreate. They're going against their own fundamental biology!"

"But these people are also _naturally_ attracted to their own gender. How do you explain that?"

"You say _naturally._ But tell me, is polydactyly or cystic fibrosis natural? No, of course not! But they still _exist,_ don't they? I think that's how this works as well — it's a... genetic _disorder_ with the _brain."_

"A _disorder,_ you say?"

"Indeed. Those... parts of the brain which are supposed to make you feel attracted towards your opposite gender, they... they mess up, and you end up attracted to your own gender. It's truly a... a tragic case, and believe me, I sympathise with all those people, for being born this way."

"You don't think these people are at fault then?"

"Not at all. We can't change what we're born with, can we?"

"In which case, why exactly do you protest against this act?"

"Because it's still wrong. Just because someone's not at fault doesn't mean a sin hasn't been committed, and we must prevent this from spreading! By preventing this act, then hopefully, such urges will hopefully reduce throughout the population."

"Hm... I notice most of your arguments are regarding the fact that these people can't procreate — but this act is not _about_ that. It's about them being able to marry."

"Yes, but passing such an act only encourages them! You're encouraging more and more gay people to marry, and thus increasing the chances that more people will fall victim to this kind of thinking! And I can't let that happen!

What makes them truly dangerous, is that they appear to be perfectly normal. They look like just an ordinary person on the outside, but on the inside, their minds are being subject to this... _plague._ They foolishly believe that a man could take the place of a women, or that a women could take the place of a man, both romantically _and_ sexually, when in truth, they could _never_ hope to."

At this point, Lucas had almost curled completely into his own seat... but what Carpainter said next only made things _worse._

"In fact, it's even worse for these... _bisexuals,_ because their minds are torn between the urge to give in to this disorder, and their desire to do the right thing. Sadly, so many of them give in to the urges from the disease... it really is a tragedy."

"But if not allowing them to get married, how do you suggest we help them?"

"Let them get _married?!_ Again, you're encouraging this! By not letting them get married, we _are_ helping them! But, you see, this is only a _temporary_ solution. What we really need, is a _cure._ You give it to a sufferer, and it suppresses those urges. Or better yet, a _vaccine_ — we can give it to everyone and eradicate this disease once and for all, through the power of herd immunity, so that no one else may suffer from this."

"Well... do you have anything more to say?"

"At the end of the day, a marriage is an act between a man and a women. No one else. Gays undermine the importance of that and it's saddening to see people actually _encouraging_ such behaviour, rather than looking for an _actual_ solution. But then again, there are still people like us, who are nobly fighting against such actions with all we have, each with their own different reasons!"

"Right... well then, thank you for your time, Mr Carpainter."

Pounding his fist furiously onto the sofa, Claus seized the remote and immediately switched it off.

But the damage had been done, and Lucas was on the verge of tears from what he'd just heard.

"Lucas... how are you feeling..."

"I'm... I'm _fine..."_

But the choked sob that Lucas gave betrayed his true emotions, and with it, the floodgate of tears opened up.

"Come on. Don't hold anything back."

"I... I don't _get_ it! Why... _why_ do people think this way? They... they just... they treat us as if we're this, this... just a different _species_ from them! As if we're not still born from a _mother_ , as if there's something _wrong_ with us."

"Yeah... and it's been like this for far too long."

"It's not _just_ that though. I've been thinking, Claus and... what does it matter?"

"What does what matter?"

"Well... let's say that I do get into a relationship with Ness, which in of itself is already really unlikely. What then?"

"What then? Well... you're in a relationship with _Ness!_ I thought that was what you wanted!"

"And it _is._ At the moment anyway. But... that's not my end goal, and... I'm gonna want more.

"More?"

"Yeah... I'm mean... okay, look, I know you're always joking at the future and all, but for once... can you answer me honestly about something?"

"Of course."

"What do you want in the future in terms of a relationship?"

"What do _I_ want? I... I'm not sure how that's important."

"Just answer."

"Well... I suppose for all my joking, someday, I wanna settle down with a nice girl, and... get married, maybe have some children... you know, like Mom and Dad."

"And... I want the same thing as well with Ness. Well, children are kinda out of the question, but I'd like to adopt. But... I won't even get that far, will I?"

"Why not?!"

"Because of this! Claus, if that act is denied... then, I can't get married to Ness, can I?"

"Lucas, don't say that! Don't listen to these people — it's gonna be passed down! Narrator, you agree, right?"

3... 4... 5...

"... Narrator?"

7... 8... 9... 10. Okay... deep breaths... _deep_ breaths... sorry, Claus, what did you need?

"What do you think about all this?"

What do _I_ think? I think it's fucking _deplorable!_ I _hate_ people like this, and believe me, if I was allowed to, I'd hunt down each and every _one_ of these people and _burn_ them to ashes, _stab_ them until their bodies looked like that man's did yesterday, _electrocute_ them until their bones melted together and then blast them over and _over_ again with Starstorm.

"Wow... didn't think you'd feel _that_ strongly about it..."

I have some... _personal_ reasons, shall we say, for feeling the way that I do. Let's just say this — if you want an easy way for me to lose faith in a person, any display of misogyny, misandry or intolerant views to people of different sexualities, in _any_ way whatsoever, _will_ do the trick.

"... including me?"

Well... there's a degree of leniency I'm willing to apply for you, Claus, since you were _14_ when that happened, and you get brownie points for trying to _fix_ that. _Neither_ of those statements apply for _these_ people though.

But... Claus is right, Lucas. You've seen one side of things, but there's still the other side you haven't looked at. There's people like your friends, your family and myself, all of whom would vote for this act to be passed in a heartbeat!

"Really? I mean, you heard those people — and there's gotta be more out there. Fourside already _rejected_ it. Whose to say _we're_ not next? And if they _do_ reject it, then what? I... I'd never be able to have any future with Ness..."

"Wait, but even _if_ that happened, the two of you could always go to Twoson! They accepted the act!"

"Yeah, I _could..._ but _then_ what? Our marriage is _only_ recognised there and _nowhere_ else? I... I wouldn't be able to move back to Tazmily like I'd always wanted to. And why should I have to scamper around like this?! Why shouldn't I be able to get married to another man if I want to, just because of some, some.... _SOME FUCKING IDIOTS!"_

Claus's eyes narrowed at that — Lucas _rarely_ swore, or even raised his voice, but when he _did..._

"AND I HATE IT! I HATE IT SO MUCH! It's.. it's _always_ been this way, and with people like this... it's always gonna _be_ this way, isn't it? People like me... we're always gonna be treated differently from everyone else, aren't we?"

"You know... you're supposed to be the optimistic one here."

"How _can_ I be optimistic? When there's so many people out there who would treat me as a freak of nature, and refuse to let me do something as important as marriage?"

Haha... it's impressive...

"Huh?"

Oh, I'm sorry... it's just... it's _rare_ to see a teenager look at marriage with the seriousness that it deserves... it's rather... _admirable..._

"Did... you get married then?"

... as a matter of fact, I _did._

"Really? _Gods_ can get married?"

Indeed, there are... _many_ surprising things about us.

"So, did you get married to another god then?"

... well... in a manner of speaking. After all... they were _like_ a _god_ to _me_ at least... and I'd like to think we were happily married...

"... were? As in... _past_ tense? Did you... _divorce?"_

Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! Oh, you're _very_ perceptive, aren't you, Lucas? But... I'm afraid that's where this conversation _ends._

"Oh... I'm so sorry..."

No, no, it's not your fault... after all, it's human nature to be _curious..._ but it's a topic I'd prefer not to discuss... not in the _least_ because we're supposed to be focusing on _you._

I'll say this — to have faith in humanity is something which is difficult. I must confess, I... l have very _little_ of it myself — perhaps unjustifiably so... though, that's due to some tenous circumstances. But... that doesn't mean _you_ should as well. I know that sounds incredibly hypocritical, but... humans accentuate the negatives, and overlook the positives — but it's not just exclusive to humans. I myself have fallen into this trap many times.

There are people out there who would curse people like that, and they're all around you, if you know where to look. They're a lot closer than you think, and they're more willing to help you then you realise. All you have to do is find them.

I think... what I'm trying to get at, is that I think _you_ of all people deserve happiness, Lucas. And don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

"So you're saying... I need to hope then."

Yes... hope. It's hard to do — and that's why not everyone _can_ do it. But... with a little bit of _hope,_ a little bit of _determination,_ and a little bit of _love..._ well, when put together, they might just work wonders.

"Yeah! Enough with the miserable thoughts! The act is going to be passed down! It's not a question of if, it's only a question of _when."_

"Thank you... both of you! You know, I think Mom's gonna make dinner. Care to watch us?"

"You know it!"

And as Lucas dried off his tears, and ran with Claus, I find myself thinking... he'll do just fine.

It'll take a while for society to catch up... it always does. But it'll happen.

As Claus said, it's not a matter of if, only a matter of _when,_ before views changes and what was once _abhorred,_ is now _celebrated._

And for both Lucas and my daughter, I'd say that time's a lot sooner than they think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was certainly quite the interesting chapter to write. I never thought I'd be writing a chapter on gay rights, but... well, here we are. Not that I have an issue with it though, it was quite fun to write.
> 
> Again, I'd like to reaffirm that I do not condone any such hate speech or intolerance towards those with different sexualities — this chapter doesn't represent my personal views in the slightest.
> 
> I'd also like to clarify one other thing though — this story takes place in Earthbound's universe and time, and that latter point is important. Earthbound takes place in 199x, which I assume to be 1994, since that's when the game was released. 
> 
> And keep in mind, in 1994, in the US, gay marriage was not legal. It would take 10 years before that would become a thing, which really makes you appreciate how much we've progressed since then. 
> 
> It makes me appreciate Itoi and Earthbound a lot more as well, for having the balls to include a character who you can kinda feel is gay (Tony), 10 years before gay marriage was legalised.
> 
>   
> Moving on, Claus playing Monopoly with the Narrator, and beating them in it... oh, it really amused me. I wanted to show this though - the Narrator doesn't hate Claus, despite all their banter and insults, and the two are perfectly capable of getting along.
> 
> Anyway, Kumatora finally gets a proper introduction here, barring her little appearance in Chapter 2, and I must say... I hate writing her so much.
> 
> And I have nothing against Kumatora — in fact, I like her! I really do! But, man, actually trying to write her? 
> 
> It is hard. Really hard. If you feel like I completely butchered her personality, then first off, you're probably right, and second off, I apologise. But after trudging through all off her dialogue in Mother 3, this is what I'd imagine her to be like. 
> 
> Rough, brazen... but not unkind. Well, she's certainly very harsh - I can't deny that. But... she's good at heart, just not very good with her words, and prefers to let her fist do the talking instead.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading, and as always, have a nice day!


	7. A Tale Of Boxing

Okay, well, that's all finished... oh no, there's one last thing here. Let's see... what is this? _Wait..._ this _seal... no..._ don't tell me — oh my God, it _is!_ Alright... just... _leave_ it. Don't open it. _Burn_ it. 

PK... PK Fi... PK Fir... _FUCK!_

I'm gonna read it _anyway,_ aren't I? Please, _please_ don't be full of _good_ things... _'Dear...'_

_...r..._

_So... it's been a while since we last talked, hasn't it... I think 16 years? I don't remember— you know I'm terrible with time! I imagine you're still busy with, well, your job and all... you didn't reply to my last letter, so, I'm guessing it's because you were busy at the time. I hope you've got some more time now and can reply to this one._

_Things here are... alright. You know, just watching everything, making sure global warming doesn't get out of hand on certain planets — speaking of which, I remember you telling me that's becoming a bit of an issue on Earth. If you need me to step in, I'd be more than happy to._

_And of course, I still do lots of meditation — in fact, I have a bit of a favour to ask. I'm running low on sulphur dioxide for it, and I hear Earth has loads of the stuff. Do you mind if I could have some? It'd be much appreciated._

_Haha... look at me, I'm just telling you about all the stuff you already know I do! Let's see... anything new then... ah! Avi came to visit... he's getting prepared for... Christmas, is it? You used to celebrate it, didn't you... either way, he's having quite the busy time making sure these kind of things go well, but I'm sure he'll be fine — there's no better god for the task than him!_

_Still, he got some time to visit, but he was a little pissed off at... well, you know what, some things are just best left secret._

_Spelea also came to visit me a year ago — she asked how you were as well. Actually, she also wanted to know if you solved her 'riddle'... you've been going at it for the past 50 years, haven't you? Ah, I'm sure you've cracked it — you may be the youngest of us all, but you're almost as smart as Lored is!_   


_The three of us had a bit of a slumber party — we tried to get Lored to come as well, but he declined, preferring to not 'waste my time with such pointless matters'. Yeah, next time, we're just gonna have Avi put him to sleep, and then we'll just drag him there. Still... it'd be nice to have you there as well..._   


_Listen, I know you're really dedicated to your job and all, but make sure you take some breaks. Look after yourself, and try not to be so... dour (sorry, I couldn't resist!) about things. And hey, if you get the chance, please come and visit us. We all miss you — yes, even Lored, even if he doesn't show it. After all, he misses having someone to belittle and call him a... how did you put it... ah, a 'pretentious prick'. Yeah... we all miss you._

_Take care, okay?_

_Your fellow dei —_   
  


PK Fire Omega. 

... but even _with_ that, I can't get away from this, can I? _FUCK!_ Why... why couldn't you all just... _hate_ me?! It would have made things _so_ much _easier..._

Still, it's good to know they're all _alive..._ haha... it's not like they can _die_ though.   


And, oh _yes_... the _riddle..._ it just doesn't make _sense..._ it's _impossible_ for a person like that to exist. But according to _this..._ they _do?_ What does she mean... what _does_ she mean? And _why_ do all of you have to speak in fucking _riddles?!_ I swear to God... no, you know what, _I'm_ a _god,_ aren't I? I'm gonna change that — I swear to _me,_ I'll flip her flops so _hard,_ she'll think her flops are _flipped!_

So what I have speluncaphobia?! So what she sics her godforsaken _crows_ on me?! So what if she's an _infinitely_ more powerful being than me and could probably bring me to the closest state to _death_ that a god can possibly feel — _actually,_ wait, that's a _very_ good point... damn it all...   


I can't hide forever though... I suppose I owe a reply. Let's see... 'Dear — _wait_... I'm about to reveal some _critical_ information, which means that there's an _86%_ chance that they're here... _and_ you're _here._

I'm getting good at this, aren't I? 

Seriously though, thanks for coming — your timing is _perfect._ See, now, I don't have to write this! You have my deepest gratitude... 

Anyway, when we last left our plucky heroes, Claus had begun his suspension, while Lucas had his usual set of adventures at school, but they were sadly soured by a _number_ of events, including some people who presented some rather... _negative_ views on people like Lucas. 

But through it all, Lucas managed to find some hope in it all, as well as someone who gave him some advise — the rough and brazen Kumatora. Though her words were harsh, he knew she had a point... and he intended to make something of them. 

So, today was a Thursday and after speaking with Kumatora, Lucas found himself thinking all the more about their conversation, particularly in light of the protest. 

As always, he went to school, having the usual set of lessons, before lunch. And while Lucas was getting his food, Ness and Paula were at their usual spot, who were currently engaged in a rather interesting competition — to see who could come up with the most _romantic_ phrases... 

"Alright, Ness, you are... the caramel on the apple of my eye." 

"Not bad... I've got one — you are the sugar in my tea." 

"Oh, come on, you can do better than that! You are... the lily to my bloom!" 

"Wow, you're good at this... you are the strings on my guitar!" 

"See, that's much better! You are... the sweet in my dreams!" 

"Nice... you're the home to my base!"   


"You're the umbrella on my rainy day!" 

"You're the rock to my roll!" 

"You're the cookies in my cream!" 

"You're the... you're the... you're _the..."_   


"Oh? Run out of phrases? Guess that means I wi —"   


"Oh no, not yet! I've still got more... you're... you're... you're the _gravy_ on my _steak!"_

Paula exploded into laughter, so much so that her insides started to hurt at how much of it she was doing, until she finally stopped. 

"The _gravy_ on my... HAHAHAHA!" 

"Hey! What's wrong with it?!" 

"Oh... _nothing._ It's _perfect,_ Ness." 

And although Ness didn't _quite_ understand the flurry of emotions Paula just went through, he was always glad to accept a kiss from her, her lips as sweet as ever... at least until the two of them saw _Lucas_ heading over their way, and they were forced to separate.   


Thankfully for Lucas, he was too preoccupied with other things to notice the tongue wrestling match Ness and Paula were engaging in moments before. He sat down with them, the two of them greeting him warmly enough. 

"Lucas! Nice to see ya!" 

"How are you?"   
  


Lucas had noticed this week that the two of them were a lot happier than they were in the weeks prior, owing to their date which had restored a lot of confidence in their relationship for both of them. In fact, the two were very grateful to Lucas for that fact, and made sure he knew it... which of course only made the pain worse for him.   
  


Though, despite his immense jealousy, he _was_ grateful that the two were making it easier to ignore that pain — they had stopped public displays of affection in front of him (though they almost broke that one just now), because they had decided it was insensitive of them to do so in front of Lucas, who lacked a partner. 

A nice side effect of it all that the two weren't aware of though, was that it was much easier for Lucas to be with them, since he wasn't reminded of their relationship as much.   


"Hey, you two..."   


The tone of sadness in Lucas's voice wasn't missed by either of the couple, who immediately exchanged a worried glance between themselves.   


"Lucas... what's wrong?"   
  


"Did... did either of you listen to the news recently... about the protests?" 

Paula hadn't, and living in Twoson, she didn't know what Lucas was referring to, looking to her boyfriend to see if he had an answer. 

And Ness did — he'd listened to it, and had been thinking about Lucas while watching it all. 

"Oh, Lucas... listen... it's not gonna happen." 

"I hope not... not just for me, but for all the people out there that are like me."   


Paula was a little bit out of the loop, but she realised what Lucas was on about. 

"Have faith, Lucas. I'm sure someone out there's listening. And they're doing everything they can to help."   
  


"Yeah... thank you. So, how was Biology?" 

"Oh _god..."_

"I will _never_ look at a frog in the same way again..." 

  


And so the three of them quickly began conversation about everyday things (ie. shit I can't be bothered to narrate), while finishing their lunches. 

When Lucas did... he had a bit of a strange question to ask. In truth, there was someone else he wanted to see, someone who he felt could help him in a way none of his friends could... he just needed to know one thing. 

"Hey, Paula... do you know where I can find Kumatora?" 

_"Kumatora?_ I... I think she's in the library. Yeah, she was working on something there... but why do you need her?"   


"I... I kinda wanted to talk to her about something. Thanks, and see you two later!"   


With surprising haste, Lucas got up and left, leaving Ness and Paula alone. 

  


"Huh, he's certainly eager to see her... is there something going on between them?" 

"Honestly? I have _no_ idea. He should be fine though... 

"I hope so!" 

"Hm... now, if I'm not mistaken, I _believe_ I was in the middle of being the gravy on your steak..." 

Over at the library, Lucas had... signed in, and was looking over the bookshelves for the familiar plume of pink hair that Kumatora had, eventually finding her sitting at some tables, with some papers lying around her, and a text book open. 

At the moment however, she seemed rather annoyed and Lucas didn't need psychic powers to figure that one out — if the way she tapped her pen in irritation or the prominent scowl on her face didn't show that, her pounding her fist on the table certainly did. 

For a second or two, Lucas thought it would be best to leave her — an irritated or angry Kumatora was not someone worth messing with. But... he really wanted, no, needed to talk with her... 

He took a seat opposite her, deciding not to interrupt her, thinking that she hadn't noticed him at all. 

However, unbeknownst to Lucas, Kumatora _had_ noticed him, and at one point, she briefly looked at him, wondering why Lucas was here at all — the kid had evidently come for _her_... but why? 

She put that one in the back of her mind, deciding that she wouldn't immediately lead off with that... actually, according to Paula, he was supposed to be some sort of historical genius, wasn't he? 

Of course, she trusted Paula and her opinion, but talk was still talk, until you've proved it — something Kumatora had learned a long time ago... and since he _was_ here, she could kill two birds with one stone. 

She looked up once again, catching Lucas staring at her, causing her to internally chuckle to herself before asking her question. 

Over on _Lucas's_ end though, he was borderline _terrified_ over Kumatora noticing him, wondering why he had gone ahead of this in the first place. 

So, therefore, he was rather surprised when he saw the pink haired girl relax a little, before asking him a question. 

"Hey... by any chance, do you know when and why Stonehenge were built?"   


Lucas was taken aback at a little at her question, but it was the first thing she'd asked him that he could actually answer. With as little hesitation as he could, he gave his reply. 

"It was... around the same time that the Pyramids of Scaraba was built. And the reason it was built is unknown, but it's thought that it was to hide a secret base underneath, that people used back then to hide from aliens." 

Kumatora gave one of her signature scoffs at that. 

_"Man..._ who comes _up_ with these things?!" 

  
... note to self — I need to learn how to come up with better and _cooler_ stories... _without_ going to _him..._

Anyway, Kumatora wrote her answer down, before asking for him about a few other things she'd forgotten, like the Dalaamese Royal Jewels which aren't really _jewels_... I mean, the _cloak_ doesn't have any, though the diadem _does..._ and so do the _bracers... and_ the _sword,_ now that I think about it. Alright, three out of four... I suppose that's acceptable. 

And then, the mystical Lost Underworld, a place said to lie beneath the Earth, closer to its core than any other place on the planet, making it home to the last few dinosaurs that escaped extinction. 

And finally, the War of Independence that Eagleland fought against Foggyland to gain... well, _independence._   


At the end of it all, Kumatora gave a soft laugh, amazed at how much Lucas knew. 

"Wow, Paula wasn't joking about you at _all..."_

"What about?" 

"Oh... I've heard quite a bit about you from her. Said you're a real whiz at History — gotta admit, I kinda thought she was kidding. But after last week and now... well, if anything, she was _understating_ how good you are." 

Lucas blushed a bit over her compliment, before stammering his next few words out. "Thanks... I, er... read a lot at home."

"It shows. I tell ya though, some of this stuff can go and _suck_ a... ah, never mind..." 

"What's so bad about it?" 

"Eh, it's... some of it's cool and all... and then some of it isn't." 

Tilting his head in curiosity, Lucas asked away. "Like what?" 

"It's... well... it's all this royalty. You know, we gotta learn about all these kings and shit, and man... it's just so _dull!"_

Giving a hum of thought, Lucas gave his reply. "Well, to be fair, I can't imagine it'd be rather fun to be royalty." 

Kumatora gave a light chuckle at that one. "I guess you got a point there. Lemme tell ya — if I was royalty, I'd just dump onto the first schmuck that wanted it!" 

"Oh? You wouldn't want the money or the fame?" 

"The money... well, not gonna lie, that is pretty tempting. But you have to get married off, and fame?" She gave a rather non committed huff at that. "Studying history's taught me one thing bout' it — either female royalty didn't contribute much to it, or history didn't care about them very much. Personally, I'm leaning more on the latter." 

"It's sad, isn't it..." 

"Hm... yeah, so... I'm _guessing_ you didn't come here to help with history and hear me ramble on about royalty and shit." 

Straight to the point. Lucas didn't expect anything less from her.   


"Well... yeah, I... I kinda wanted to talk with you." 

That got Kumatora interested — as she'd guessed, he _was_ here to see her. But he wanted to _speak_ with her? After their conversation, she'd have thought he'd have never wanted to see her again. 

Huh... the more she thought about it, the more she realised that seemed to be a running thing with her — those that met or spoke to her would rarely want to repeat such an action, due to her nature. 

Indeed, Kumatora didn't have many friends at all. In fact, scratch that, she could really only claim to have one — Paula. 

Paula was the only person she'd met that was willing to just walk up to her and talk, despite knowing how much of a 'take no shit' kind of gal she was. 

Now that she thought about it, maybe part of the reason she was attracted to Paula in the past was _because_ of that — because she _wasn't_ afraid of her. 

And surprisingly to her, here was Lucas doing exactly the same... _well,_ he _was_ scared, but he was still here. He _did_ come all this way... it couldn't hurt to talk with him a little, right? 

"You wanted to talk with _me?_ Well, can't say I'm exactly the _best_ person to talk with but... hey, you came all this way. How _did_ ya find me anyway?" 

"Paula." 

_"Ahhh..._ that makes sense. Well, you _did_ help me with this so, I owe you one... what did ya wanna talk about?"   


"Well... it's actually kinda about what _you_ were talking about earlier." 

"Royalty?" 

"No... _marriage."_

Kumatora's eyes widened in comical shock at that — what _exactly_ was he getting at? 

_"Woaaah..._ goin' a little bit fast there and, well, er..." 

"You don't swing that way — I remember." 

Although she didn't show it, Kumatora was mildly impressed that Lucas remembered such a detail about her, though she didn't have much time to dwell on it before Lucas started speaking again. 

"In fact, that's... actually why I'm here." 

"Ooh... _now_ you've got me interested. So, what about it?" 

Lucas pondered what he'd say next for a few seconds, trying to think about how he'd lead into this, before eventually deciding that the best course of action was just to dive straight into it. 

"Did... did you hear about the protest last night?" 

"Which one?" 

"The one outside the Town Hall." 

"Oh yeah, I watched it live, and God, it was... ohhh..." The realisation struck her like a sack of bolts, as she figured out what Lucas was getting at. 

"Yeah... so... what did you think of it..."

At Lucas's question, Kumatora clutched a pencil beside her with such intensity that he thought she might break it in two just by holding it, before letting it go.   
  


She still remembered it... she remembered the fire _bubbling_ in her veins, the _anger_ she felt at it all... _fuckers_ like that... she just wanted to _grab_ them and _slam_ against a wall over and _over._   


She knew she had some anger issues — she was well aware of that. But in that moment, she really didn't care — in her eyes, she'd have be doing humanity a _service_ by getting rid of them all. 

Sadly, none of them were there at the time, so her pillow had to pay the price instead.   


She took a deep breath before continuing.   
  
  


"It was fucking horrible. And that's me trying _not_ to put it in colourful terms." 

"Yeah... it was. I... I actually cried over it."

"Really? How come?"

"Well... it's just... it's so fucked up! I... there's someone I... I like and... well, I think a lot about the future and all. But... with this..." 

Lucas put one hand over his mouth after that, wondering to himself why he was divulging so much to someone who was almost a stranger to him. 

Kumatora wondered the same as well, realising that the kid had guts to do that... and in a way... she _knew_ what he meant. 

"You can't have the future you want, can you? You know... I _get_ that." 

"... really?" 

"Yeah... I think it's... well, really _mushy_ that you think like that, but... also... I guess, it's kinda sweet?" 

Lucas was taken aback a bit. He was almost certain that Kumatora would mock him for crying and all... but no, she didn't seem to hold anything Lucas said against him, and with a a thoughtful look on her face, she asked him a very simple question.

"Do you think that you need to get married?" 

"What? Well... you don't _need_ to get married, but... it would be nice." 

"It _would_ be _nice,_ yeah, but is it, you know, necessary? Even if the act isn't passed, it still doesn't mean that I can't be in a relationship with another girl. We could... er... what's the word... ah, cohabitate! Yeah, that's it, cohabitate! Cause at the end of the day — and I'm gonna get _real_ mushy here, if you love someone else, you just... _know_ it, don't you?" 

"Hm... I guess you're right. And a piece of paper shouldn't be the thing that determines how strong it is." 

"Exactly. You don't need some _dumb_ sheet for people to know you've got a strong relationship. I dunno, maybe marriage is just overrated. Though, if they _do_ make any kind of gay relationship illegal, I will _personally_ introduce the people responsible for that to my fist, and I'll tell ya now — their relationship with it will be _very_ intimate." 

Lucas giggled a little at the absurdity of the idea, though in the back of his mind, he had a sneaking suspicion that Kumatora wasn't _entirely_ kidding about that. 

"Marriage might be overrated and given too much importance in our society... but that doesn't mean people shouldn't be able to make the choice! I mean... if you don't want to marry, then, yeah, that's your choice. But... without this act, there isn't a choice. Even if you wanted to marry... you couldn't. We should be able to get married, and we shouldn't have to settle for anything else!" 

Kumatora slumped in her chair, seeing what Lucas was getting at it. It was the _principle_ of the matter, the ability to _make_ that choice in the first place which was important... but that was the choice that they were _denied._ And they were forced to settle with... well, second best.

"Huh... you know, never really thought about it that much. But here's the thing — life isn't _fair._ I agree with you — we shouldn't _have_ to settle with just cohabitating if we want to get married... but _'shouldn't have to'_ and _'have to'_ are two different things. With bastards like this roaming around, it won't matter how much we want something... we've just gotta settle for what's left. Even if it's not fair. Cause that's life... if it was fair, then things wouldn't be like this." 

Lucas opened his mouth to respond, only to shut it at the depressing truth that Kumatora presented. However, before the weight of that truth could completely sink in, Kumatora started to speak again. 

"You're a... optimistic one, aren't you? You've got your mind rather focused on this." 

"It's... it's something important for me. And I don't back down from those things. Not without a fight." 

"Is that so?" 

There was an edge to Kumatora's voice, one that Lucas picked up on, knowing exactly what she was referring to. She was silently challenging him, waiting to see how he'd react to it. 

Lucas thought about it deep and hard... and he realised the answer wasn't to challenge back. It was not to defend, or to retaliate. It was something much harder... but something that needed to be done. 

"Life isn't fair... but that doesn't mean we have to crumble it. And because of that... you were right."

Kumatora's eyes widened and went backwards in her chair, as if having been punched by an invisible fist, clearly being taken aback. Whatever she expected Lucas to say, it _certainly_ wasn't _that. Defiance?_ Oh, she was _definitely_ expecting that — in fact, she'd opened her mouth to reply _expecting_ just that. 

But, no, Lucas had completely surprised her by doing the exact _opposite._

"Wow... well then, er... I think... well, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was... yeah, I was too harsh." 

"Maybe you were... but I'm thankful." 

Kumatora laughed heavily before she continued. "You know, you might just be the _first_ person in existence to be thankful that someone tore them a new one. Listen, don't take what I said too seriously, because I... I said some stuff that I really didn't mean and, it was because... ah, forget it..."   


"No, no, it's fine! I... I kinda wanna hear it." 

"Well... I was kinda... kinda jealous of you and so, I was pissed off at both those people and you. Those idiots for being fucking morons... but I was annoyed at you, not really cause you deserved it or anything, but... envy and all, so... I guess I just took it out on ya. It... it doesn't make it right, but... well, that's why I was like that. So... I'm sorry... and man, I'm _crap_ with apologies." 

"Well... I don't think you need to apologise, but, if it makes you feel better... I accept it. I'm still grateful though. You... you were right. I... I have been... a coward. But not anymore. I... I wanna stand up. I wanna stand up... somehow. And... and I want your help." 

Kumatora looked at Lucas intensely, sizing him up. It made Lucas feel rather self conscious, but he tried his best not to show it. After about a minute, she put her hands on the table before a smile slowly started to emerge on her face. 

"You free on Saturday?" 

"Yeah... I'm not doing anything." 

"Alright... you know the gym in Onett?" 

"The one near the school?" 

"Yeah. Meet me there on Saturday at 11:00. See ya around and... thanks for the help." 

Kumatora packed her stuff before quickly marching out of the library. Lucas... wasn't sure what to make of what Kumatora had asked him to do, but despite how little time they'd spent, he felt like he could... trust her. 

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully, and Friday went by equally so as well. 

That evening, however, when Lucas's family had all gathered round for dinner, it wasn't with the usual familial atmosphere... because someone was missing.

"Where could he be... he didn't say he'd be back late today. I hope he's alright..."

In fact, Hinawa was very worried — because Flint wasn't home yet, and usually when he was late for unexpected reasons, it generally spelled trouble. 

The twins and her waited for him to arrive, but even past 6, Flint didn't arrive. It wasn't until half an hour later that Hinawa relented and let her sons have dinner, though they both adamantly refused to, both of them equally concerned for their father.

Finally, at about 7, the front door opened and Flint quickly entered, shutting the door as fast as he could to prevent a burst of rain from blowing in.

"Dad!" 

"You're back!"

Hinawa came in soon after, having heard the commotion coming from the front. She saw her rain soaked husband, a look of relief quickly emerging on her face. She merely gave a silent smile to her husband before taking his coat. 

"Sorry I'm late... I hope you all didn't wait for me." 

None of them responded, simply letting the dining table that was set out for dinner answer for them. Flint chuckled to himself before the family all sat down to have dinner — some rice, as it happened, but despite everyone now being there, there was still some tension and many questions lingering in the air, which Flint had yet to answer. Halfway through the meal though, he decided to do just that.

"So... I bet you all are wondering where I've been."

Neither of the twins replied, not knowing what to say. It was instead Hinawa that was the first to reply.

"Why were you so late?"

Flint simply gave a heavy sigh... his wife was sharp as a tack and had gotten right to the heart of the matter straight away. 

"Well... work."

Hinawa groaned, her suspicions likely being true now. "What's gone wrong now then?"

"Hey, why does something have to have gone wrong? Maybe I got a raise!"   


But a stern look from his wife immediately silenced him, and Flint knew what she was wordlessly referring to. The chances of him getting a _raise_ with _his_ boss _..._ well, it would happen when a deity _died._

You see, whenever Flint was home late, it was almost always because something had gone wrong at his work.

Flint worked in a factory in the centre of Onett, which manufactured many kinds of things. Occasionally though, things went wrong — like the time when the main boiler started to overheat, or the time where some of the saws started rusting, and they nearly broke. 

Or the time when someone forgot to reset the circuit breakers and the foreman almost _blew_ up the factory. 

Indeed, it had gotten to the point whereFlint saying something like ' _I'm going to be home late today.'_ was essentially code for _'shit's hit the fan at work and I've gotta go sort it out.'_

And judging from the bags under Flint's eyes, today, it was certainly something severe. 

"Ah... might as well tell you... you'll find out soon enough from the news anyway."

That made the other three's ears perk up. It would be on the _news?_

"There was a delivery sent out yesterday. It was just supposed to be a normal delivery and all, but the thing is... the van never _arrived."_

"It never _arrived?"_

"Yeah, I only found out this morning. We got a call saying the delivery never came, and... well, we have no idea what happened. The tracker on it stopped working for some reason, so our only guess... is that it was _stolen."_

"Stolen? But why would anyone steal the van itself?" 

"Probably because of what's _inside_ of it. I've had to spend the entire day taking stock and trying to see what was actually in it. Good news is, there was only actually _one_ thing inside of it. 

"Well, that's not too bad then." 

"Oh, it is. See, they may have only stole one thing... but what they stole wasn't something we wanted taking. It was something new and I think rather unique as well... we only had one crate worth of those... and they were all in the van." 

"What was it?" 

"It was some really strange doohickey... oh, Duncan kept going on and on about it, saying it would be the pride of the factory... what was it called? Oh yeah, he called a _Franklin Badge."_

... 

... 

... 

... 

... _shit._

With a puzzled look on his face, Claus turned to Lucas. "Who the heck is Franklin?" 

"Ben Franklin... he was one of Eagleland's founding fathers, and the person who came up with the lightning rod."

"Cool... but what does any of that have to do with this badge?

"You see, I don't know how it works exactly, but basically, these badges can reflect _lightning."_

"Woah! That's amazing!" 

"Surely there's gotta be some kind of catch?!" 

"No, we've tested them and they seem to work just fine. Apparently, they could be used for all sorts of stuff, like in more efficient lightning rods or power plants. We made about fifty of them, and they were _supposed_ to be delivered to Fourside... but of course, they never _got_ there." 

"So... where _did_ they disappear?" 

"Well, we don't know, but the last known location of the van was somewhere in Threed. But the worst part is that the two drivers... they're also _gone."_

_"What?!"_

_"Yeah._ They were there and... well... the van disappeared with them _in_ it. Considering all that _and_ how much the badges cost to _make..._ well, Duncan had a _lot_ to say." 

"He didn't take the news well then?" 

"Not at _all._ God, sometimes I just wanna quit my job... especially after today." 

"What happened?" 

"He's cancelled all our Christmas bonuses and he's docked everyone's pay until all the badges are found! _Bastard!"_

"Flint! Language!" 

A sheepish look came across Flint's face, as he mumbled an apology to his wife and kids. 

"Oh, come on, Mom. We've heard worse." 

"Yes, I'm _sure_ you have. But none of that in my house." 

"Of _all_ the people who could have owned that factory, it _had_ to be the next _Scrooge_ himself... I'm sorry, Hinawa... I don't think we'll be able to take that holiday next summer." 

"Honey, it's _fine._ I'm just relieved you're back and things aren't too bad now..." 

"But you've been looking forward to it for so long, haven't you? You've always wanted to see the pyramids... you know, sometimes I wonder if the world would be better off _without_ money." 

"Maybe it _would_ be better. People would care more about themselves and others." 

"People like Duncan could sure use it... the guy cares more about the missing _stuff_ than the _missing_ _people_ in the van." 

"Oh dear Lord..." 

"Ah, enough moping around though, we've got something to be happy about at least — Claus, you're ungrounded!" 

"Really? Oh yeah, it's the end of the week!" 

"Yes. And Claus... _please_ don't get into any more trouble." 

"I make no promises, Mom. BUT, I will try and make sure not to get suspended at least for a few months." 

Hinawa was about to argue back, only to stop, realising that this was honestly the best she could hope for with Claus, and decided not to sour the mood further. 

Things were a little bit happier after that, and after dinner was over, the twins watched some TV in their bedroom, before preparing to sleep. 

But while doing so, Claus rose some interesting questions. 

"Hey, Lucas... who do you think could have stolen that van?"

"Maybe someone in Threed? The van _did_ disappear somewhere there, didn't it?" 

"Maybe... but it doesn't seem as simple as that. They couldn't track it any further, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it _disappeared_ there. Someone could have taken it somewhere further..." 

"Yeah... but then they'd have to get rid of the tracker, right? And I don't think that's exactly easy to do — kinda defeats the _point_ of having a _tracker."_

"So then... the van was destroyed?" 

"Maybe... hmm... what do you think, Narrator?" 

To be quite honest, I don't know. I have my suspicions though...

"Of who?" 

The Scarbians. 

"The _Scarbians?_ That's a... pretty big leap in logic. Why them?" 

Lightning reflecting badges.... that's a _very_ specific thing to steal. You'd need a good reason, and of all the governments, I think the Scarbian government is the only reason to want to steal something like this. 

"Why?" 

Because tensions between them and Dalaam are running rather high right now, and I suspect a war may be brewing between them. The Scarabians therefore may have stolen these badges in order to help wage war against Dalaam. 

"But... they're meant to _protect_ people, right? How would they help them wage war? How can something that's meant to _protect,_ be used to _harm_ someone?" 

Ah, Lucas, how naively you think... _anything_ can be turned into a weapon if you try hard enough. And the qualities of Franklin Badges make them rather easily exploited in the harming department, because they don't just block electricity — they _reflect_ it. 

"But why would the Scarabians want to steal them?" 

It's quite simple when you think about it. PSI is an integral piece of Dalaamese culture — in fact, it's practically _embedded_ in their lives. And of all the military forces that exist out there, the Dalaamese are the one that has the heaviest incorporation of PSI within their forces. It's quite a sight, to see multiple warriors all line up, before fire, ice and lightning rain down in quick succession on all their foes. 

"But how does that relate to all of this? Why would the Scarabians steal these badges?" 

Let me ask you a question in return, Claus. If you were to hypothetically go up against the Dalaamese military, what precautions would you take beforehand? 

"Well... they love to use PSI so... I guess I'd try and find some sort of way to protect myself against it?"

Hm, it seems like there _is_ a brain in you after all. A wise suggestion, and that's exactly why someone would steal a bunch of Franklin Badges. 

"For protection?"

For protection.

"But why these badges of all things?"

Haha... because Franklin Badges are the only way to counter PK _Thunder._

"What?! The badges can do that?!"

Indeed — PK Thunder _is_ electricity, is it not? Psychically _conjured_ electricity, yes, but electricity all the same. 

"Wait, wait, wait... don't psychic shields and stuff like that exist?"

They _do..._ however, Shields and Counters aren't perfect. 

"What?! Why not?!"

Simple — some PSI just _can't_ be protected against. You've got stuff like PK Flash, which is a bright burst of light — and you can't exactly block or reflect that. 

Blocking or reversing earthquakes also isn't exactly something you can do either, since, well... it's an _earthquake._ The seismic waves are simply too spread out to do anything, so that rules out PK Ground. 

But lightning might very well be the most interesting, because lightning bolts, and by extension, PK Thunder, tends to strike at a rather specific frequency... one that psychic shields and the like will not only fail to block, but will outright be _broken_ by. 

"Woah! Really?!" 

Yeah, you might wanna make a note of that one, Claus — if someone's using a psychic shield, or heck, a psychic counter, you've got a rather good way to give them the middle finger. 

"Knowledgeable, aren't you?"

Well, shields and counters _are_ my speciality.

"So you're saying... that someone who wants to attack the Dalaamese stole the Franklin Badges, to provide protection against them?" 

An succinct summation... _wow,_ try saying that one ten times _fast._ Yes, an _accurate_ summation. 

"Hm... and the Dalaamese _do_ put a rather big emphasis on lightning, seeing as they worship Thunder and Storm. Lightning is supposed to be revered in their culture or something, isn't it?" 

Very true, Lucas — I'd wager the only PSI that they would consider more honourable than PK Thunder would be Starstorm... but the average Dalaamese warrior is unlikely to know it. But as for PK Thunder... well, it's a lot easier to use, and therefore, a lot more common. 

"Wait... what if the Dalaamese themselves were the ones who stole the badges?" 

What... ah, I see — you're suggesting that they stole them to prevent them from being used _against_ them for that very reason. A distinct possibility, Claus, and a rather astute observation at that. 

Still, at the moment, all of these are just guesses... heck, for all we know, it could very well be someone entirely _different._ Only time will reveal who the real culprits of this is, and why they wanted these badges... right, I'm off to survey Scaraba. Good night, you two. 

"Bye! Good luck!" 

"I think you'll need it..." 

"I guess we should get to sleep... good night, Claus." 

"Night, Lucas."

On Saturday, Lucas was quick to get up and make himself busy, until 10 o clock, where he started to leave the house, only for his brother to stop him. 

"You're off in a hurry. The fields then?" 

"Actually, _no..._ I'm going to the gym." 

Claus's jaw dropped at that, where it hung for a few moments before he regained his composure. 

"The _gym?_ That's... _really_ strange for you." 

"Well... why not?" 

"Lucas, in _all_ the years I've _known_ you, which, is all the years you've _lived_ for, I have _never_ seen you go to the gym. Why now? Unless... ah, I get it. You're gonna go there and get _ripped_ , aren't you? And then Ness'll just fall head over heels when he sees you!" 

"Well..." 

"Yeah, I can just picture it — you walk in with muscles the size of an ox, and Ness is like... 'I'm, I'm a... feeling a little _hot_ here.' And then, he's like 'Oh, Lucas, _take_ me away in those _big_ muscles of yours that I _definitely_ don't fantasise about every night.' Yeah... perfect, right, Lucas? Lucas?" 

_"Hmm... imagine that..."_

"Lucas? Earth to Lucas." 

" _It does sounds really nice..."_

"Lucas!" 

"Oh, yeah, cool and all, but not why I'm going." 

"Then why?" 

"You know who Kumatora is?" 

"Kumatora... oh _yeah,_ she's that _really_ butch lesbian, isn't she?" 

"Claus! That's not very nice!" 

"What, am I _wrong?"_

"Well..." 

But the more Lucas thought about it, the more he realised that Claus might actually have something. 

"Well... even then, it's still not good to stereotype people." 

"My apologies. So you're meeting her at the gym then?" 

"Yeah... we kinda got round to talking and she asked if I wanted to join her... so I thought I might as well." 

"Huh. Alright, well... see you then." 

"Bye."

Lucas headed off — the gym was in the centre of Onett, near his school, as well as where the factory where his dad worked. When he got there, he initially felt like he shouldn't have come... it wasn't exactly a place he frequented as Claus pointed out. But he saw Kumatora there, waiting for him, and thought to himself... it would be alright. 

"Hey, glad you showed up!" 

"Yeah... I wasn't completely sure about this, but... well, here I am! So... what are we doing then?" 

"Well, tell me — have you ever tried boxing?" 

The deer in the headlights look that came upon Lucas's face was so sudden and apparent that Kumatora immediately started bursting into laughter. 

"I'm guessing that's a _no_ then?" 

"Never... never would have dreamed of doing _that."_

"First time for everything. And I think... this is exactly what you need. Come on, it'll be nice to have a living punching bag for a change!"

With Kumatora chuckling at Lucas's expense, the two of them entered a boxing area. 

There weren't many people here — right now, it was just the pair of them and three others. 

The place itself though was somewhat in a state of disarray. It was by no means dilapidated, but Lucas could certainly see that much of the equipment was somewhat old, and starting to become worn away. 

Between that, and the relatively few people here, Lucas wondered if many people used the boxing stuff... it didn't seem like it, so Lucas could see Kumatora frequenting this place for that reason — she did seem to be the loner type. 

The two of them found a corner to work in, and dropped all their stuff. After stretching a little — Kumatora turned to Lucas, ready to start. 

"Right then... you've got your own way of trying to solve things. But I've got my way." 

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say... it's punching someone in the face until they give up." 

"Bingo. Someone comes up to you and tries to fuck you up. What do you do? Easy — you fuck _them_ up! And I'm gonna teach you how to do that." 

Now, Lucas wasn't sure how to react to that. His parents had always preached the importance of peace, and trying to resolve things peacefully. So... learning how to solve them in the opposite manner... well, it went against Lucas's general principles. It couldn't hurt to learn though — as long as he didn't use it.

"Okay, so, to start things off... throw a punch." 

"Throw a _punch?"_

"Yep. Just _punch_ me as hard as you can." 

"Alright, but I should probably warn you, as sexist as this sounds... I punch like a girl." 

"Oh, come off it, you can't be that ba—" 

"Oh _no,_ I really am _that_ bad." 

"Come on, you _must_ be —" 

"No, I'm _not._ I _really_ do punch... like a _girl."_

"Okay, well... just give it your best shot anyway, and I promise I won't say anything bad." 

Lucas wound back, preparing for a punch, before letting loose with all the force he had, which Kumatora blocked with her hands. 

When his fist hit Kumatora, she briefly looked at him in sheer confusion. She opened her mouth to say something, before raising her finger up to stop herself, remembering what she'd told Lucas. She just looked at him, her mouth agape while she tried to think of something to say. 

After about a minute, she finally said something non offensive to say. 

"Well... I _can't_ say you _didn't_ warn me." 

_"Ohhh... this is gonna go well..."_

"Right, so... first attempt... didn't go so well. Let's try working more on your technique. You wanna put your left foot in front of you and then your right foot behind." 

"Like this?" 

"Yeah, but you want your left to be pointing to me, and your right to be pointing away. Bend your knees a little." 

"So... like that?" 

"Yeah, that's the way. Okay, throw another punch." 

And so, Lucas did, with Kumatora looking a little more happy. 

"Better." 

Over the course of an hour, Kumatora gave some various adjustments to Lucas's posture and punches, seeing how much better he'd do. Though he was improving slightly, she could tell he was still holding back, and tried to think of a way to draw more of his strength out. 

She realised she had _one..._ even if it wasn't the _nicest_ way. 

"Okay, this time let's use an actual punching bag." 

"Alright. So, a punch then?" 

"Nah, we're gonna do something different. Close your eyes." 

"You're not gonna do that thing where you say I'll get a surprise when I open them and then you punch me in the face, are you?" 

"No..." 

"Alright then." 

"... but that _is_ a very good trick. Right... who do you hate the most in your life?" 

Without a shred of hesitation, Lucas replied "Pokey." 

"Huh, why am I not surprised? Okay, so imagine that the punching bag... is _Pokey._ You can't _see_ him, but you _know_ he's right there, right in front of you." 

And slowly, that image started to form in Lucas's mind... he could see greasy blonde locks, a piggish face, a sinister smile. They all slowly merged into something more clear, something with form... _Pokey._

"He's there... and now, he's laughing at you. He's calling you weak, pathetic, a waste of skin. He's _mocking_ you." 

And Lucas could hear Pokey's voice in his mind, taunting him. 

_"Lucas, Lucas, Lucas... why does everyone like you so much? The_ ** _golden_** _boy. The boy that could do no wrong. Except to_ ** _me._** _You took everything I had, and now... I'm gonna return all of it. With interest._

_So how do you want me to pay it? Over a long time? Little by little. It's not that bad. You won't even notice it._

_Or should I do it all at once? Hahaha... that sounds so much more fun._

"How does that make you feel? Angry?"

No... it _didn't._ Anger... it wasn't really an emotion that Lucas was familiar with. Instead, he felt anxiety... not quite fear, but it _was_ on its way there. 

"No? Then let's try and pick it up a little. Imagine... he walks towards you, and grabs you. He picks you up, and brings you close. You can smell that breath of his whenever he speaks."

_"Hahaha... Lucas... look at you. Like a doll. Look how fragile you are. I wonder... how hard do I have to squeeze, before you break? How hard do I have to squeeze, before you burst open? Hahaha... wanna find out?"_

"So he starts socking you everywhere, your face, your legs, your arms, your chest. So what do ya do?" 

But Lucas already knew the answer to that one. It was the answer he'd taken in every other situation. He wouldn't do anything. He'd just take it... take it, and hope Pokey would leave him.

"But he doesn't leave you. He gets bored of playing with you, and he still wants more. So, he goes others."

_"Ah, Lucas... you see this? You think that I'm the one hurting these people? No. You are. If you had never hurt me, I wouldn't have to try and hurt you. And if you hadn't become friends with them all, then I wouldn't have to hurt them, to hurt you. You see, Lucas? It's all your fault."_

"None of them can do anything. None of them. But you can. So the question is..." 

_"How many more have to go, for your sake? One? Two? A dozen? A hundred? A thousand? Or maybe... everyone. Well... it's all just numbers to me. And let me tell you, Lucas... I'm_ **_very_ ** _good at subtraction. Now... who do we start with? Ness? Your 'best' friend._

_NO! MY BEST FRIEND! You took him away, Lucas, you stole him from ME! And do you know what happens, when you steal something from someone else? They take it_ **_back._ **

_But remember, Lucas... I said I'd pay you with interest! So, I can't just take Ness back, oh no... I've gotta take more. Who next? Well... what about that girl? Ness's girlfriend... what's her name... Paula? A friend of yours? Hahaha... WRONG! A friend of mine now!_

_But no, I'm still not finished. I've got to take something, something that you'll truly miss, something that you'll remember. Hehehe... HAHAHA! I'm gonna do it, Lucas. I'm gonna do it._

_I'm gonna take your brother as well._

_But I'm not just gonna take him right now. That's not how you took Ness away from me, remember? It was slowly... slowly... and by the time I realised it... it was already too late._

_That's what I'll do to you. I'll take everything you hold precious and dear to your little heart, one by one, and then tear apart the things that mean the most to you. Because that's what you did to me! And so, I repay you in kind._

_So play, Lucas. Play all you want. Play to your heart's content. Because by the time you've realised I've won... they'll already be gone."_

"NEVER!"

With all the anger and love he could muster, Lucas thrust his fist forwards as hard as he could, shattering the maniacal image of Pokey that he had mentally made, before it crashed against something. 

"WOO! Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" 

With a start, Lucas opened his eyes, wondering what he'd hit, seeing the punching bag swinging back and forth, as well as Kumatora who looked rather pleased with him. 

"Wow... you really gave it all to that bag... I'm actually kinda impressed!" 

And Kumatora was right to be — that bag was still swinging. Lucas himself was surprised — he hit it that hard? He'd never thought himself as an overly violent person, but somehow... he'd really done that. 

"I can't believe I did that... compared to before." 

"Well, I'm also kinda surprised as well. But, you know... nothing changed between now and before. Oh, sure, I gave you a few tips and all, but... that's all you. So... what made you do that? " 

"Well... it's something really _mushy."_

"Go on..." 

"It... it wasn't Pokey insulting me, or Pokey threatening to hurt me... it was... it was like I thought. Pokey threatening to hurt others... the people I care about."

"... wow... that really _is_ mushy." 

Lucas looked a little embarrassed at that, which Kumatora noticed, quickly backpedaling. 

"Oh, don't mind me. It's better than what _I_ use anyway..." 

"What do you use?" 

"I see those kind of people... and I just wanna punch them in the face as hard as I can. Wipe the smiles off their smug faces, and let them feel what they make others feel. A... a taste of their own bitter medicine. I guess that doesn't make me much better than, being this obsessed by violence..." 

"Hey, I don't think you are." 

"Really? I'll prove it then. What kind of PSI can you use?" 

"Well... mostly the healing and supportive stuff... I'm good with that. But I did get some offensive stuff... Flood and Love." 

"Hahaha... why am I not surprised that you got those two? Look at me though — Fire, Freeze, Thunder, Ground... seems like I'm quite good at hurting people." 

"Well... I think you're looking it at in the wrong way. I got what _I_ have, because I like to help others by supporting them... I like to strengthen, and I'm not a fan of conflict. But you got what _you_ have, because you like to talk problems head on. You like to take the more... _direct_ approach, and you have your gifts because you know when to be forceful, and when _not_ to be." 

Lucas's little speech left Kumatora stricken in deep thought, until she had something to say. 

"... _fuck_ me, do you _always_ give such inspirational speeches? Seriously, you should become a politician or something." 

"Thank you, but, you know, you have a point as well. It doesn't always pay to a pacifist... I'm glad I came to you for that."

"Speaking of that, I gotta ask — why _did_ you come to me?" 

"What?" 

"I mean, you've got other friends, don't ya? Not that I _mind_ and all, but... it kinda seems like I'd be the last person you'd go to." 

"Well... of everyone I know, I thought you'd be the one who'd be able to understand me the most... is that okay?" 

"Nah, I don't mind! Actually... I guess in a way, I'm in the same boat. There's no one I can really relate to... except you. I guess... well, it's nice having someone else who gets me. I don't really have any friends... _well,_ I've got Paula, at least." 

"You've only got her as a friend?" 

"Yeah... not the best at making friends, if you couldn't tell. Huh... now I'm kinda wondering why Paula stuck around." 

"Well, you know... you're welcome to hang out with us during lunch and stuff, if you want."

Kumatora gave a light chuckle at that. "You really are like her... it's alright. I'd just be intruding anyway." 

"Really? I think you'd fit in just fine." 

"You think?" 

"I know. And I'm sure Paula would agree." 

"Huh... maybe... maybe you're right. Honestly though... I'm seeing what Paula meant when she talked about you." 

"... what? 

"Yeah, I've heard a lot about you from Paula and... well, I've started wondering what kinda person you were from the kind of things she said. 

_"CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP! Oh no... has Paula secretly been onto me and was telling Kumatora this whole time?!"_

"... what... _kind_ of things did she say about me?" 

Although Lucas tried to say in a noncommittal manner, he wasn't quite able to stop the fear that seeped into his voice, which Kumatora picked up on.

"Oh, don't worry. She only had _good_ things to say." 

"Really..." 

"Yep. She speaks pretty damn highly of you, you know." 

"... really?" 

"What, that's a _surprise?"_

"I mean... _kind_ of? We _are_ friends, yeah, but I never thought she'd see me as someone _that_ important. I mean, I'd always thought that I'd just be her boyfriend's best friend." 

"Yeah, I _guess_ you've got a point. Being a person she shares a lot of classes with, being the person partially responsible for her getting together with her boyfriend, who she adores, and just being a great friend in general... those _are_ pretty irrelevant, aren't they?"

_"Well,_ when you put it like _that..."_

"Point is, she's very glad to know you."

_"And, here I am, secreting plotting to sabotage her relationship with her boyfriend... God, why couldn't she just hate me? It would make things so much easier..."_   
  


"Huh, that's... that's nice to know." 

"Hey, you fancy another half hour at this?" 

"Sure, and... well, thanks for this, Kumatora."   


"Oh, don't call me that. I hate that. Who names their daughter after two animals?" 

"Eh... I'd say it's pretty unique." 

"I _guess..._ but of all things, a _bear_ and a _tiger?_ Who names a child after those?" 

"Well... it _is_ fitting." 

"Hey! What're you saying?!" 

"But then again, you _could_ be something a gentle tiger or a teddy bear... would you prefer that?" 

"... well... _fuck..._ ya got me there. Let's get back to this. You might have a mean right hook, but how good is your left one? Let's find out!" 

And so, the two continued their efforts, almost doubly motivated than what they were before. 

Though there were some slip ups from Lucas, with love to fuel his movement, and a desire to protect those he cared to fuel his punches... he would certainly get better. He always did. 

Just like before, the once - coddled Lucas was on his way to becoming a brilliant, young sun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh... let me tell ya, I hate writing uplifting shit. Why? Because I suck at it. And every time I do it, I feel like I need to balance it out with something incredibly dark/sad. I'll be very happy when I get to the darker parts of this story, cause that's my speciality, if the Cycles Stories didn't make that clear.  
> 
> 
> So, this chapter... as you may have guessed, this chapter and the last were supposed to be one. I decided to separate them, because... take a wild guess. 
> 
> Anyway, more bonding between Lucas and Kumatora — and I've gotta say, for how much I dislike writing Kumatora, I love her character. She's basically that cool older sister we all wish we had. 
> 
> Oh, and that part where Ness and Paula are coming up with 'romantic' phrases for each other? This is why Ness/Paula is the best ship — I mean, how can you hate a ship where you can do adorable shit like that?! 
> 
> And yes, there is a plot here. As you can see, there is more than one (or two in Mother 1) Franklin Badge in this universe. What does that mean? Who knows (well, I do cause, I'm the goddamn writer)?! 
> 
> I apologise if it seems like the plot is moving kinda slowly — there is one, but well, I'm also trying to build some relationships the various characters, and the last two, as you can tell, were focused on Lucas and Kumatora.   
> 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading, and as always, have a nice day! 


	8. A Tale Of Costumes

Hello, my dears, and welcome back. And you know what, why don't we just get right back into it all?

So, last time, Lucas and Kumatora formed a rather interesting friendship, with the latter even teaching the former some of her own ways, like how to _box,_ certainly not a normal hobby for the pacifistic Lucas.

But of course, sinister things are always brewing behind the scenes, as was the case when _fifty_ Franklin Badges were stolen from a van making a delivery to Fourside, sent from the factory Flint worked at in Onett. 

And I have _still_ yet to find that van, those people _or_ those Franklin Badges...

But before we start our story today, let me set the scene. 

Over a number of areas across Eagleland, snow had started to fall and cover the area, making everything a bit of a winter wonderland. 

In particular, Onett and Twoson had been hit rather hard — not to the extent of creating snowstorms, mind you, but the snow was certainly there and noticeable.

As you can tell, the festive season was here in full force, and all the students were feeling all the more joyous, particularly as their school was going to shut down soon.

  
  


So, with the scene set, our story today begins with Lucas and Claus — _PSYCHE!_

Yeah, you know what? We've started far too many sessions on these two, so let's switch it up a little. Instead, let's have a look at Lucas's _favourite_ couple — Ness and Paula!

And right now, the two of them were at Paula's house, simply hanging out, watching the snow fall and making some hot chocolate.

"Ness, do you want some marshmallows and cream?"

"Of course! What hot chocolate is complete _without_ them?!"

"None at all!"

Paula put a dollop of cream in both her and Ness's cups of hot chocolate, along with some marshmallows. She handed one cup to her boyfriend, who eagerly took a large gulp of it, humming in contentment.

"Mhmm! You make the best hot chocolate!"

”Thanks! It's nice to have a hot drink on a cold day to warm you up!"

"Not as nice as having a hot _girlfriend_ though..."

Paula almost dropped her hot chocolate at that, Ness laughing at his girlfriend's near mishap. 

As soon as she sat down on the couch, he leaned towards her and nuzzled her cheek with his nose, his girlfriend softly sighing at Ness's warm touch. Feeling bold, Ness gently placed a kiss on her cheek, causing her to turn and smile. She cupped his cheek with her left hand, returning the favour with a kiss on the lips, Ness eagerly joining.

As the two lightly fought for dominance, Ness ran a hand through Paula's hair, her soft locks trailing through his fingers, like silk...

  
  


Finally, the two broke apart, Paula's face rather radiant, and Ness's with his goofy smile.  
  


_"You know... this might be the only time I've been happy to make it to first base."_

_"Oh? Well, how about you swing that bat again and run some more?"_

Paula giggled inwardly, knowing that Ness would never go that far. 

_"I would... but I think I'm happy with first."_

And before she could completely process Ness's mental thought, Ness had crashed his lips onto hers, shocking her with the more powerful sensations that she'd never felt.

This time, their fight for dominance was more intense, both of their mouths and stomachs twisting and turning in ways that felt uncomfortable and nice at the same time.

  
  


The two kept it up for some time, neither of them wanting to stop, until they were both forced to do so at the same time for air.

Both of their faces were a light pink, the two huffing and puffing a little, looking into the distance. Ness was the first to recover, looking a little apologetic.

_"I'm sorry... was I going too far?"_

Paula responded by simply resting her head on his shoulder and nuzzling his neck gently with her lips.

_"If I thought you were, I would have said so."_

The two stayed like that for a while, before Paula got up, looking at the time.

"Well, we've still got the afternoon to our selves. Wanna play something?"

"Sure! What were you thinking?"

"We _could_ play a board game, but I don't wanna have to drag them out of my closet, and there's always so many pieces... ooh! How about some Mario Party?"

"You're on!"

"2, then? It _is_ the best one."

"Nah, 3's the best!"

"What? No, it isn't!"

"But it is!"

"... Ness."

"Yes?"

"I want to break up with you."

"Really? Over _this?"_

"Think about the children! When we educate them about video games, I can't have you telling them that 3 is better than 2!"

"First off, you're _wrong,_ and second off — there's gonna be _children?"_

"Yes! Wait, NO! No, no, I... in the future!"

"Oh, _good._ See, for a minute there, I thought you were trying to _tell_ me something."

"What? NO! NO! No, that's not what I _meant!_ Ohhh..."

Paula curled into her couch in embarrassment, while Ness got up and put the cartridge in, laughing at her expense.

"I'm so embarrassed..."

"Ah, well, have it your way. Let's play!"

The game booted up quickly enough, which left the two with the hardest decision to make.

"Which board are we gonna play?"

Paula smirked at Ness, a memory coming to her. "How about... _Space_ Land?"

_"Fuck_ no!"

"What's _wrong,_ Ness? Something _bothering_ you?"

"I _still_ haven't forgotten our _last_ game on it!"

"Oh, _yeah,_ I remember it! Ah, that was pure _skill."_

"It was _bullshit!_ _3_ Hidden Blocks! With _Stars!"_

"Alright, alright... how about Mystery Land then?"

"Okay."

The two picked their characters — Ness picking Mario and Paula picking Peach.

"You know, I like Mystery Land's costumes... makes you feel like a real archeologist!"

HAHAHA! Oh, Paula, how unaware you are... for all aspiring archaeologists out there, I have two pieces of advice — _don't_ believe everything you _hear_ about archeologists, and more importantly, _don't_ become an archeologist.

"Ooh! That reminds me... _we_ need to talk about costumes as well for next week!"

Paula clapped her hands together, before tilting her head to the side with joy plastered on her face, all while lightly squealing in excitement, which Ness found just _adorable.  
_

"I was wondering when you'd ask about that! It's coming up in a week..."

Ah yes, _thank_ _you,_ Paula. You see, it was getting near Christmas and so the school was hosting a little party of sorts... with the added invitation of fancy _dress._

You'd _think_ they would ask that the students would go in Christmas themed stuff, but _no,_ they didn't really care, which many of the students were going to take advantage of — such as these two. 

The two had decided to pick a couples' costume, so all they needed to do was decide what 'couple' of things they'd be going as.

"So, what should we choose..."

"Well... we could go as culinary favorites — salt and pepper."

"Salt and _pepper?"_

"No?"

_"No."_

"Alright, no need to get _salty_ about it."

Ness laughed at his own joke, but quickly stopped upon seeing his girlfriend's face... only for them to _both_ start laughing at her comically serious look. Paula was next to come with an idea.

"I've got one! We go as nature's favorite couple!"

"Which is...?"

"Mr and Mrs Saturn."

"I _like_ it... but we're far too _tall_ for that."

"Well... _I_ am at least."

"Height jokes? Really? Cause, you know, they say that a man who can land a lady taller than him must be a very _special_ one indeed."

"Oh, _well,_ I can _definitely_ say that there's some merit in that."

"Thanks... hey, why don't we go as supervillains?"

"Well, there's loads, aren't there? Did you have anyone in mind?"

"How about... the _Joker..._ and _Harley Quinn?"_

"Let's be real, Ness — you would be a _shit_ Joker. And I can't say I'd be a very good Harley..."

"I guess you're right... man, this is hard!"

"But hey, this is good! We should both make sure we agree on something. OH! Ness, I have it, I actually have it! It's perfect!"

"Okay, what is it?!"

"Well, instead of _villains,_ I'm thinking..."

But Ness and Paula weren't the _only_ two discussing costumes, as Lucas and Claus were currently doing the exact same thing at their house in Onett.

"So, _I'm_ thinking, Lucas... what if we each dress up as each other?"

"Claus... that is a _terrible_ idea."

"What? Why?!"

"It's so obvious and overdone that everyone would see through it in an instant!"

"I mean... we could just say we _forgot,_ and then they won't have any reason to suspect us!"

"They'd still see right through it!"

"Come on, if we did it well — you know, dye our hair, and change our mannerisms, I don't think anyone would know the difference!"

I would.

"You're a fucking _deity_ — you don't count! Idiot..."

  
  


Fair point — though I would point out the idiocy in _insulting_ a fucking _deity._ And I'd still say Lucas is right. The two of you are very different from each other — you'd have a hard time learning how to mimic the other's mannerisms in a week.

"Exactly. I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Oh, well, _excussse_ me... _Princess..."_

_"No..."_

A sinister smile slipped onto Claus's face before he continued.

"Oh? Is there something wrong... Your _Majesty?"_

"No, no, no, no, NO! NO! We said we'd never talk about that again!"

"We also said we've never talk about Paula slapping me in the face again, but that didn't happen either! Back me up, Narrator!"

Well, on the _one_ hand, I'm supposed to _hate_ you, Claus. On the _other_ hand, the story _is_ really funny... so... hm... eh, you know what, I'll tell it — it's your reward for beating me in Monopoly! 

"YES!"

"NO!"

It was about 10 years ago, when the twins were just 6, so naturally, the twins lived in Tazmily at the time. 

Now, you see, Lucas and Claus were at school one day, and the school had gotten a bunch of costumes for the children to wear for fun. Sounds pretty cool, right? Yeah, it was.

There were quite a number of things to try, such as a robot costume, a witch and even a dragon, and let's be real here — dragons are _pretty_ cool. I mean, on the scale of coolness, dragons are pretty high up — up there with zombies and Saturns.

So, the twins were very eager to try some of these costumes on, and they each decided on different things. Claus wanted to dress up as a ninja, which... hey, ninjas are also pretty cool, and he didn't make for a bad looking one — though I don't think _bright_ orange hair is very conducive to being a good ninja, seeing as it _would_ give you away very easily.

Lucas, on the other hand, wanted to be a _prince._ See, Hinawa used to read her children a number of fairy tales when they were younger, and I'm sure you're aware that a large majority of fairy tales will usually involve a prince, who will win a fair princess's heart, get married and live happily ever _after._

Side note: I get bored very easily, so I've read a bunch of these fairy tales myself and real talk — can we just discuss the fact that in a lot of these stories, it's the _king/queen_ who's just straight up _offering_ their _daughter_ up, as a _prize._

And I'm just like. _.. 'dude,_ she's a _person!'_ What if she doesn't _want_ to get married to this random guy? Or what if the prince doesn't _want_ her hand, but is forced to accept because, well, if you _don't,_ you'd probably piss off the royalty _above_ her, and that generally _doesn't_ end _well..._

  
  


But Lucas and Claus both looked up to these princes, though for different reasons. For instance, Lucas looked up to them for the kindness they possessed and the happy marriages they eventually had.

Claus, on the other hand, looked up to these princes because of their immense strength and bravery that they demonstrated through fierce trials... and also because of the fact that they got to _screw_ a hot chick at the end of it all —

"Okay, I know _bad_ things are gonna happen to me for interrupting, but _seriously?!_ I was _6!_ Do you _think_ I knew what _sex_ was at _6?!"_

Well... ah... huh... _shit,_ that's actually a _very_ good point. _Damn..._ I _rescind_ that last statement about you, Claus, and for a worthwhile interruption, I _won't_ blast you this time. But don't get _too_ used to it....

Yes, well, the twins certainly had a high opinion about princes at the time, and that was why Lucas wanted to dress up as one.

However — and there's _always_ a however, Lucas _didn't_ end up dressing like a prince. But why? Did they not have a costume for a prince?

Oh no, they _did_ — complete with an awesome cloak, an awesome crown, a awesome ring and a golden scepter to rule them all.

Okay, so, did someone end up taking the costume _before_ Lucas then? Nope — Lucas _would_ have had first dibs at it, if things hadn't gone wrong.

So what happened then? What did go wrong?

Well... I call Claus an idiot a lot, because, well, he _is,_ but you know what, I'll give him credit — despite doing _more_ dumb shit than Lucas, he's never done any _one_ action that's _more_ dumb than what Lucas did here.

You see... Hinawa's books didn't have many, if any illustrations of princes in them. So although Lucas knew _what_ a prince was, and what they were like, he didn't actually know what they _looked_ like. 

However, Hinawa's books did have plenty of illustrations... of _princesses._

And the costumes that were brought to school _just_ so happened to include a blue dress with sequins on it, complete with a tiara, that was _very_ similar to how one princess was illustrated in one of the fairy tales that Lucas had been read.

... you can see where this is going...

So, the six year old Lucas carefully took one of the costumes, seizing it before any of the girls could, put it on, and started parading around, saying "Look at me, I'm a prince!"... all while wearing and twirling around in a _dress._

It took a considerable amount of time before someone decided to tell him about his mistake, sending the 6 year old bursting into tears in embarrassment.

It was still rather embarrassing for Lucas to this day, and from that incident, he earned the nickname of 'Princess'. 

Still... he didn't make for a _bad_ princess... 

"You know what? I've moved on! I don't feel anything at this story anymore!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

"Alright. You want me to prove it? Fine. I'm so over it that... that I'll do it _again!"_

_"... what?!"_

"Yeah! You heard me! I will dress... as a girl!"

"Lucas... I'm not gonna stop you, but... _what?"_

"Why not?"

"Well, you're gonna get a lot of flak for this."

"Already do."

"Hu... well... fair enough..."

"And think about it — I can make some progress with Ness! If Ness is attracted to girls, then why don't I try _being_ one?"

"I'm not sure if that logic exactly _works..._ but do whatever you want."

"Yeah, I will! What about you then?"

  
  


"Well... actually, I did have something else in mind in case you rejected my idea... hm, might need Ninten's help with it."

"Oh? What is it?"

"That, dear brother, is a _secret._ All I can tell you is that... I'm gonna need some _cardboard._ Lots of _cardboard..."_

So over the course of the next week, everyone at their school made their preparations for the party, with the usual high school shenanigans— you know, obsessing over what you're gonna wear, and who you're gonna go with. 

This wasn't much of an issue for all of their friends though — they'd all decided what they were going as, and only Ness and Paula were going as a couple, much to Lucas's dismay. 

In the evenings, the twins both worked on their various costumes. Claus had amassed some cardboard and spent his time cutting parts of it out and shaping the cardboard into his costume.

Lucas, on the other hand, was more focused on thinking about how he'd make his move onto Ness at the party. He wasn't entirely sure, but he did have _one_ idea...

Finally though, two weeks before Christmas, on a cold Friday evening, the day of the party arrived.

"Lucas? Are you ready yet?"

  
  


_"Let's see... fasten this around my waist — there's a crinkle here... let me just... there we go. Hm... you know, I don't think I've done too badly!"_

  
  


"I'm ready!"

Taking a deep breath, Lucas slowly opened the door to his room, letting his brother finally see him... and when Claus saw him, his first reaction was to put a hand to his mouth in _shock._

Lucas had done it. He'd actually gone through with it. He'd... done _exactly_ what he _said_ he would. 

It didn't make Claus any less surprised though.

Lucas had dressed up... as a girl — but not just _any_ kind of girl.

First off, his blonde hair wasn't in its usual spiral - like swirl — instead, he'd put them into two pigtails, much like how Ana styled her hair with two grey orbs tied in them that looked somewhat like screws.

Lucas was wearing a blue dress, with an apron on top of it tied around his waist, along with a white hat of sorts and a pair of dainty white gloves. Lower down, Lucas had some white stockings, as well some high heels, though they were low ones to let him move more easily, and were the same shade of blue as the dress.

But the biggest change would be to his _face_ — Claus had bought some face paint, and he realised that Lucas had taken some of it without him even knowing. 

And now... his face was a light, almost shiny, grey of sorts, with faint black circles around his eyes, contrasting rather heavily with the white and blue he was wearing.

But most of all? Lucas was just _smiling_ at Claus. He could _see_ the infinite thoughts running through his mind, just silently _begging_ him to say just one of them, and Claus being _Claus..._ he _did._

"Soooo... _draw me like one of your —"_

"PK Flood Alpha."

A burst of water flew from Lucas's gloves, splashing in Claus's face and soaking his hair.

"Ooh, a _feisty_ maid! Let's hope Ness is into that."

"What are you saying, Claus? I'm as _sweet_ as can be!"

"You're enjoying this _way_ too much, aren't you?"

"Your reaction _does_ make this more fun, yes."

"But out of all the possibilities out there, you went for _sexy maid?"_

"I was aiming more for _cute,_ but yeah."

"Why?"

"Well, you see, Claus, I did some research into fetishes —"

"Oh yeah, just _casually_ researching _fetishes,_ no big deal, right?"

"Yep. And from my research, I deduced that there are three big ones for straight men. Dominatrixes, slaves in golden bikinis and maids. I don't think I've got the personality to be good at the first, and I'm a little _lacking_ in the chest area, which rules out the second, so... maid."

"And where the hell did you even get all this stuff?"

"Well, it wasn't that hard. Face paint came from you and the apron and hat came from the kitchen. I needed to buy the dress, shoes and stockings but... worthwhile investment."

"A _worthwhile_ investment? Considering you're only gonna use this once, I'm not sure if that's true."

"Well, hey, if I _do_ get Ness, who said this'll be the _last_ time I use this?"

"You've already been having fantasies about this, haven't you?"

  
  


"... maybe?"

"This is either going to go _horribly_ well, or backfire _spectacularly..._ and I'm honestly not sure which would be worse."

"Well, do you think I've done a good job?"

"I'd say... yeah, you have actually done a pretty good job."

"Thanks! What do you think, Narrator?"

Well, I'd say you cut a rather nice figure, Lucas. Excellent use of the face paint, by the way, though you might want to pull that apron up a little — it'll let people see more of the dress. Also, perhaps you could do with some lipstick? 

"Oh yeah, you're right! How much do you think I should put?"

Not too much — just enough to make your lips more rosy and noticeable. Well, noticeable, compared to any _other_ male — females of this generation have a rather _persistent_ tendency to _slather_ their lips with the stuff. 

Claus held his chin in confusion, looking towards the sky. Got something to say, Claus?

"... I don't think you know how lipstick works."

What?

"Yeah, I swear you can't control how much of the stuff you put on."

... you _can't?_

"Wait, _you_ didn't _know_ that? How come?"

... _well,_ you _see..._ yeah, I have nothing...

"Not so omniscient, are you?"

  
  


Alas, I forget a few matters over the many years I've lived for, and I was never exactly a fashionista... but, I suppose, instead, you'd want something closer to natural lips?

"Hm... Mom might have some. I'll go and check!"

"Alright, while you're doing that, I'm gonna go and put _my_ costume on."

A quick raid on his mother's supply of make up yielded success — some lip gloss, which Lucas applied, completing the look. Once he finished, he knocked on their door.

"Claus? Are you done?"

"Gimme a second... yep!"

The door opened and Claus walked out, clutching a...

_No._

Claus... had made quite the change himself. He... he wasn't wearing his usual orange shorts, instead some orange pants... with what looked to be a... a scabbard of sorts on them as well as some fine boots. He... had a jacket, a... a black jacket on, making him look a lot smarter than he usually was...

_No... no..._

But... the most interesting thing about Claus was the two other things he was wearing... in his right hand... he had a thin _sword,_ made from rubber, but painted a bright yellow, making it look electrical in nature.

_No. No. No._

And on his head... Claus was wearing... a _helmet._ It was made of cardboard, but Claus had painted it grey, and it seemed to almost shine in the light, giving it a metallic appearance. The helmet... _masked_ almost the entirety of his face... save for his mouth.

"Cool, isn't i—"

_Claus._ Who are you?

"Woah! What happened to your voice? Kinda spooky..."

Who are you?

"What? What do you mean?"

Who. Are. You?

"Why the _hell_ are you asking this?"

Answer the question.

"I'm... I'm _Claus."_

And _who_ is the person beside you?

"That's _Lucas?_ You know, my _brother?"_

... 

...

... right. Right. Okay. Good. Good.

"... what was all _that_ about?"

I... I apologise, Claus... I... I had to check something. That's a... that's a rather interesting costume you've got there... how ever did you come up with it?

"Yeah, I'm wondering that as well."

"Oh, right, it just came to me in a maths lesson, and I knew I just had to remember it, so I drew it out right then and there."

"... _instead_ of doing your work?"

"Yeah, exactly."

Lucas just sighed in resignation, before Claus continued.

  
  


"So yeah, I drew this out, and I knew... I just _had_ to do this. I got Ninten's help with the helmet and everything! Look at me now!"

"And so, the most ridiculous looking cyborg of all time was born."

"Hey! This is the _pinnacle_ of coolness! I mean, just _look_ at me! I have a helmet! And a _thunder_ sword! How cool is that?! Tremble at my cyborg awesomeness! It's a shame though... if I had more time, I could've made an arm cannon or something, maybe even some _wings..._ oh, that would have been _sick."_

_"And_ ridiculous."

"... jealous. You know, I've been trying to think of a name."

_"Why_ do you need a name exactly?"

"Cause all cyborgs have a cool name! I mean, you got _Robocop_ , _Darth Vader_ and the _Terminator._ All cool names."

"I swear the Terminator _is_ actually a robot though."

"Living tissue over a metallic endoskeleton — I mean, that's _basically_ a cyborg. And so, I, the _next_ badass cyborg, need a _badass_ _name_ to go with it. I was thinking something like... Killer Claus? You see, I'm like the _evil_ version of Santa Claus!"

"... no."

"Yeah, alright, that _was_ pretty lame. I've been trying for the past week to come up with one, but man... this is harder than it _looks._ A name, a name..."

Nope. I'm not doing it. I refuse. Not doing it. I'm not gonna give in. Nope. Not at all.

_Ohhh_... I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?

Eh... _fuck_ it... I've already made so many decisions on my life that I regret (ie. _all_ of them) — what's one _more_ on the pile?

  
  


Hey, Claus... I think I've got a name for you.

"Really? Let's hear it."

  
  


Okay, so, why don't you call yourself — and wait for it... _the Masked Man?_

"Masked Man... Masked Man... yeah... _yeah,_ I _like_ it! It's catchy _and_ badass! _Masked Man..._ damn, Narrator, you could make a business out of giving nicknames!"

Well, thank you very much. Would you like a name as well, Lucas?

"I'll pass, thanks."

Shame... had a _perfect_ one for you.

"So be honest, Lucas — is this _not_ just the _coolest_ thing you've ever seen? I'm like 'swing, swing, slitchty slash!'"

Claus started swinging his 'thunder' sword all around him, almost hitting Lucas in the process.

"Hey, watch where you're swinging that thing!"

"Oh, relax. It's made of rubber — it's not gonna hurt ya."

"Yeah, but I spent a long time styling my hair and one swing from you would ruin it."

"Oh my _god..._ you don't even _need_ the dress to be a girl, Lucas... you're practically _acting_ like one already!"

"I mean, did the sword _really_ need to be _that_ long though?"

"Hey, a sword's _gotta_ be _long,_ doesn't it, so you _stab_ people."

"Hm, either that, or you're compensating for something..."

Claus bashed his fist on the table, before laughing.

"Oh, you did _not_ just go there!"

"Oh, but I _did."_

"My my, Ness is quite lucky, isn't he? His robotic bitch cooks, cleans, does laundry, cleans out ears, trims nose hair _and_ has a _snarky_ setting."

"Very good — not gonna get me, Claus."

"Lucas... you _sure_ that this is a good idea? Cause... trust me when I say that you're gonna get a _lot_ worse from others there."

"I learned this from Kumatora — you shouldn't care about whatever someone says about you, unless it's from someone you care."

"Hm... that's some good advice."

"Yep... so I don't care what anyone else thinks! I wear this proudly! Though that being said... _maybe_ it would be best if Mom _didn't_ see me leave like this?"

"Okay, in that case, we'll need to leave at the perfect time — ideally when Mom's in the kitchen. Now, knowing Mom, she'll probably be cooking around now, so we should probably leave as soon as we can. I'll go down, and I'll let you know when the coast is clear."

"Right."

The cyborg and maid quietly tip toed down the stairs, with Claus going out in front, and Lucas hiding at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Claus's signal.

Claus quickly glanced around, looking for his mother... thankfully, she wasn't in the entrance, but rather in the kitchen as Claus had predicted, looking around for something.

"... now, where _is_ that apron..."

"Mom! We're leaving!"

"Hm? Alright! Stay safe, you two, and be back by 11!"

_"Now."_

Lucas quickly dashed from the stairs to the door, putting a coat on, before he opened the door. 

  
  


"Bye, Mom!"

"Have fun!"

The cold outdoors was immediately apparent to the two — particularly for Lucas, who wasn't wearing much lower down. With as much haste as they could, the two quickly made their way along the snow covered path towards their school. 

While doing so, Claus noticed that Lucas was keeping pace with him pretty well, despite the fact that Lucas held himself in a somewhat strange manner to him.

"How _are_ you able to walk that quickly in those high heels anyway?"

"Well, they are fairly low ones — I didn't wanna trip over myself or anything, plus I've been practicing walking in these for the past week."

"Oh, of _course..._ cause _that_ makes sense. And what's with your walk? You look like a peacock strutting about."

"It's called being _elegant,_ Claus. I have to act the part, don't I, and every lady has to have _elegance."_

"Okay, nah, I _have_ to ask — when, where, and most importantly, _how_ did you learn to be _'elegant'_ anyway?!"

That would be me.

"You?!"

Yeah, I threw some lessons into elegance and demeanor free of charge alongside the dancing lessons I gave him... which _also_ came of free of charge.

"Oh, I never did pay you for those... how much do you want?"

Oh, don't worry about it, Lucas — it was my pleasure!

"Wait, wait, wait... so, you're a deity, a fucking _deity,_ with _all_ the _wisdom_ of the _world,_ an _unparalleled_ amount of power who _somehow_ knows how to _dance_ and be _elegant..._ and yet you don't know how to use _lipstick?!"_

... in my _defense,_ it _has_ been a _very_ long time since I've used lipstick. I don't like to use the stuff myself, and the one female god I don't _completely_ despise doesn't care much for it either. 

"Really?"

Indeed. I got her some lipstick for one of her creation days — I'd tell you which one, but she _refuses_ to tell me how old she is.

"Why?"

Another lesson into etiquette with ladies for you, Claus — it's _rude_ to ask one for their age. 

"And that extends all the way to _gods?"_

I don't _make_ the rules, I just _follow_ them, and considering that fact that this goddess is _the_ most _powerful_ deity I have _ever met..._ well, I'd rather _not_ get on her _bad_ side. 

Because I've done it _before._ And it was _not_ fun. 

So there's your lesson of the day, Claus — _always_ treat women with respect. Because if you don't, they sucker punch you in the _eyes_ with PK _Flash... not_ that that's ever happened to _me..._

"Noted."

Either way, the two arrived at their school, and made their way to the auditorium, where the party was being held. 

The party itself was certainly a lively one — there was music, drinks, and of course, a bunch of students all mingling about... and for some of them, mingling consisted of being pressed up against a wall, and snogging another. 

How quaint.

Some of the students had gone for Christmas themed clothing, but as predicted, most of them had decided to go for other things — and the teachers had done so as well.

There weren't all that many supervising the event and they had certainly decided to go for less over the top costumes than the students did — though the twins did notice the two Visaras though, who had gone rather wild themselves.

Mr Visara looked a bit like a mad scientist — his hair was white, he had some black goggles and he was wearing a lab coat. Despite all that, his genial face showed the man liked by the students was still there.

Mrs Visara, on the other hand, had dressed herself like _royalty_ — she was wearing a regal pink gown with gloves, along with a golden tiara and a green pendant around her neck. Overall, she seemed almost giddy with excitement.

And on the stage of the auditorium was none other than Duster, apparently having been put in charge of the music, and he'd also dressed for the occasion with a afro wig and a get up that you might associate with a musician.

The twins found an area with some snacks to watch the party and look for their friends, deciding to split up and search through the crowd themselves. 

Hm, you know... I might have some fun myself — maybe mess around with the music or something... oh wait, I still have to _narrate,_ don't I?

  
  


Well, on the edges of the room, Lucas was the first to find someone, noticing a pink haired girl slouching against the wall, putting on her usual loner face, away from the crowd. 

"You know, a party's not the best place to be if you wanna be alone."

Kumatora looked down, seeing the maid beside her, squinting carefully in confusion. She recognized the _voice..._ but she didn't recognize the _person._

"Lucas?"

"Nice to see ya, Kumatora."

"What are you doin' dressed like that?"

"Well, I thought I'd go against traditional gender standards."

Kumatora laughed heartily at that.

"Well, I can respect that! I'm doing the same, as you can see."

Yes, Kumatora was making a rather interesting stand herself — by striking somewhere in between _genders._

She was wearing green slippers and earrings, but with a green vest, in addition to having cut off a large part of her hair, overall making her look something like a drag queen... of a _Magyspy._

"But, I gotta say, you had me at first."

"Really? I didn't think I did a very good job..."

"Are you kidding me? It's a shame — if you were a girl, I'd have you pressed up against that wall and my lips on you faster than you can _blink."_

Lucas's face went a rather adorable pink at the mental image at that, cueing another hearty laugh from his friend.

"Please tell me you're just messing with me..."

"Oh, Lucas, you are far too easy to mess with! But to answer your question... _maybe."_

Lucas noticed that Kumatora seemed a little bit... strange today, almost.... _flirty_. Wondering if there was a reason why, he leaned against the wall with her, looking in the same direction as she was. Though it was hard to tell, he noticed she was always looking in the general direction of a certain girl, a brunette wearing a nurse's outfit.

"Oh, _I_ see what's going on here."

"What are you on about?"

"Gotta admit, I'm kinda surprised - who'd have thought that the _big,_ strong Kumatora would have a _crush_ on someone?"

"Oh, you better not _fucking_ dare..."

"Don't worry, it'll be our little secret. But don't think I'm gonna forget this!"

"Fair enough..."

On the different end of the room, Ninten was in a similar position to Kumatora — slouched up against a wall, trying (and arguably failing) to look cool. Unlike the tomboy, Ninten wasn't doing it to avoid attention, but rather to _receive_ it, specifically from a certain girl at a nearby table — Ana.

Ana was one of the few that had actually gone for something Christmas themed — but not necessarily something _festive._ She had dressed up as an angel, with wings and all, wearing almost nothing but white on her, giving her an appearance rather similar to Gabriel... 

At least, I _think_ she was going for Gabriel — it's been a very long time since I've read the Bible. After all, why would I re-read something that's almost entirely _wrong?_

Still, despite deciding to dress more in accordance with the religious aspects of Christmas, she was still participating in the festivities — in fact, right now she was trying, but failing to pull open a Christmas cracker. Seeing an opportunity, Ninten approached her.

"Hey, Ana. Enjoying the party?"

"Yes, they certainly did a good job with it all! They've even got all these Christmas crackers... they're held together really tightly though."

"Need a hand?"

"Sure!"

  
  


Ninten took hold of the other end, and the two pulled their respective ends in unison, with a loud pop that made them both jump. All sorts of things came out, like paper crowns, face masks, mini chocolates and a bunch of glitter, which flew out of both ends and covered the both of them, particularly Ana.

"Oh no, I hate glitter... it's so hard to get it off your clothes! Please don't tell me it's got into my wings..."

"Here, let me help you."

With a few wide strokes, Ninten was able to get most of the glitter off of her, with just a little remaining near her chest. 

Unfortunately, he was struggling to get those last bits off, partly due to his nerves and his haste, and partly due to _where_ those last bits of glitter _were._

He brushed harder, hoping that would work, but it only seemed to press the glitter further into her robes, much to Ana's embarrassment, so he opted for a more gentle approach, picking the glitter off of her, bit by bit.

However, let's just say Ninten was being a little bit _handsy_ with Ana, and considering the _area_ he was being handsy _around,_ I wouldn't be surprised if we were to hear a shriek and a _slap_ in a few —

  
  


"Eek!" _*slap*_

... man, I'm good at this.

With a huff, Ana walked off, leaving Ninten alone to snap his fingers together in annoyance at himself.

Little did he know that Claus was watching his partner in crime, and after seeing this, he eagerly slapped him on the back, causing him to turn with a start.

"Sup, fucker?"

"Claus... should've have known it was you... bastard."

"Ow, my feelings. I'm _so_ devastated."

"Oh yeah? Then how bout' that sword of yours? Awfully _long,_ ain't it? It's almost as if you're —"

"Lucas already beat you to the punch."

"Damn it! Man, now I got nothing."

"So, how come you're at this party, instead of the streets?"

"What? Oh, yeah, _nice_ one."

Ninten's costume was that of a _hippie's —_ a weird band around his head, a fake moustache and beard and a shirt with a wheel on it. He'd certainly mastered the airy look of one, what with his tossed looks and crossed legged stance.

"Yeah, _man..._ all these _hang ups_ are a total _bummer._ But when life gets you heavy, you just gotta get someone to hit you _up_ and go with the _flow."_

_"... okay?"_

"And then... you just ride the waves, and hang ten, until you get knocked off by the breeze."

"... what is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? It's not me that's the problem, dude, it's the Establishment! They keep ruining my _vibe,_ they keep messing with my _groove!_ I'm the fry guy, but they just keep jamming my jams!"

"What... just... I have no words..."

  
  


"Oh, you should see the look on your face! Yep, _best_ idea I've had. And you seem to be digging your get up as well."

"Oh yeah, seriously, dude, thank you so much for your help. Couldn't have done it without you, you're a great pal... no homo."

"Oh, good, I was getting worried there."

"I saw what happened with Ana just now. Lost the charm, Ninten?"

"Yep. What happened to us, Claus? We used to be cool. We used to be chick magnets."

"Well, _I_ was."

"Thanks a _lot._ But what happened?"

"We changed. And for the better. We didn't respect anyone, and cause of that, everyone stopped respecting us."

"Yeah... I guess we needed that wake up call... guess I was just lucky that I didn't have to get from Paula."

"Yeah... but, I'm glad it happened. I needed that."

_"Both_ of us did."

"Speaking of Paula, where is she? I've been looking all over for her, and I can't find her."

"I think she was over there? Near the snacks?"

"Alright, thanks! See ya!"

  
  


But the couple in question was actually over by the side of the dance floor, having taken a break from dancing with Jeff, the Winters student having been watching the two.

Ness and Paula quite enjoyed their dancing — and their costumes certainly made things more fun.

You see, following their discussion, last week, they had decided to dress as heroes. But, of course, there were many heroes, so which ones did they choose? 

  
  


Well, as Ness and Paula were both very big fans of video games, they had decided to choose heroes from this — and so they'd dressed as _Mario_ and _Peach._

Ness had swapped his baseball cap for a red hat, with a M that'd be drawn onto himself, and was wearing some red and blue overalls, like the plumber himself. He'd even gotten a fake moustache, which Paula had a lot of fun playing with.

And as for Paula herself, she was wearing a pink dress that was a lot more fancy than her own, not unlike Mrs Visara. She'd even gotten a golden crown with a red jewel in it and some blue earrings, much like Princess Peach's, and tried her best to style her hair in a similar fashion.

Jeff has also dressed up for the occasion, and given his interest in science, he'd decided to dress up as a robot which he'd _designed._

He had a grey shell around him, with spikes protruding from his shoulders, as well as a helmet he was wearing, with assorted red shapes on his right, near his lungs. He'd even put a visor on, hiding his eyes, while still letting him see.

"Well, looks like you had a lot of fun."

"Oh yeah, it was great!"

"Sorry we had to make you watch, Jeff."

"Nah, it's alright. It was nice to watch you."

"You're heading back home for the holidays, aren't you?"

"Yep... looking forward to seeing my father again, maybe my friends."

"And your _boyfriend?"_

Jeff groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, dreading what was going to come next.

  
  


"Oh no... _don't_ do this..."

"Oh, come on, Jeff — it's not good to deny your feelings!"

"Exactly!"

"No! There are no _'feelings'!"_

"Jeff, dude, buddy, you _do_ talk about the guy a lot."

"What? When?!"

Ness and Paula exchanged a look at each other. "All the time?" Ness asked.

_"All_ the time. 'Oh, Tony gave me this new tool kit for my birthday, oh, he made this cool drawing and oh, he has the longest eyelashes!'"

"Hey, I’m not like that! And I told you the last one in confidence, Paula!"

"Sorry, Jeffy — but it's decisive evidence."

But thankfully for Jeff, the interrogation was briefly put on hold as someone else was approaching them. 

And as it happens, that person was _Poo..._ huh, you know, he hasn't actually come up yet, has he? Well, Poo was an exchange student like Jeff, though he came from the much warmer Dalaam. He was older than the others — he was 18, though slightly younger than Kumatora.

All 3 of them were rather interested in what Poo was wearing — he'd said that he was going to go as something important to his people, so they expected him to dress as one of Dalaam's warriors, or a dragon — the Dalaamese are known for making a special kind of spice that invokes dragon - like tendencies in a person.

But, Poo hadn't dressed as either of those — instead, he'd dressed... as a _rabbit._

Nah, I'm not _joking_ either — he'd actually dressed as a _rabbit,_ a black one with the ears and everything.

When he reached them, he bowed, before seeing their looks.

"Greetings... is there something on my face?"

Paula spoke first, and perhaps it was best that she did, since she had the most tact of them all.

"Hi, Poo, good to see you. Nice costume — but, if you don't mind me asking, what are you dressed as?"

"This? Why, I have dressed a rabbit, of course. Is that not obvious?"

"Yeah, but... what's the significance?"

"Hm? Ah, my apologies — you would not understand, would you? You see, rabbits are considered sacred in our culture."

This piqued Jeff's curiosity, and always eager to learn more, he asked away.

"Really? Black rabbits are considered to be a symbol of fear in Foggyland."

"Ah, well, they are the _opposite_ for us — they are symbols of stoicism, symbols of inner peace and control that every warrior should strive to possess."

"Interesting! What else is special about them?"

"Well, statues of them were made long ago by our ancestors, which guard the passage to the most sacred area of Dalaam — for that reason, they have also been considered sacred."

"Wow, that's really cool!"

"Thank you. My apologies for intruding though — I wanted to have some company with familiar faces."

"Hey, it's cool! You're welcome to join!"

"Yeah, where were you anyway?"

"Ah... you see, I have currently been attempting to avoid the girls here... I have been asked quite a number of times to dance, but I do not know how..."

"Hey, you and me both, Poo. Maybe these two can teach you though."

Paula laughed at the situation. "Well, this is a new one — us being able to teach Poo something!"

"I must admit, the girls here are a lot more forward than back home."

"Looks like you're as popular here as you are home... impressive."

A grin emerged on Jeff's face, something having come to mind. "I guess that makes Poo... a _Playboy Bunny!"_

Ness and Paula started chuckling at that, bad of a joke as it was.

"Alright, that was actually pretty funny."

"I'll give that one to you, Jeff."

As for _Poo..._

"I'm afraid I do not understand the joke..."

"Oh, I'll explain it to you later."

"Thank you. So, what were the three of you talking about before I came?"

"Oh, we were just talking about Jeff's _boyfriend."_

"Oh _no,_ not _this_ again..."

"Oh, _Tony —_ are congratulations in order then?"

Jeff simply gave an anguished moan, before burying his head in his hands, the others chuckling at this.

"Hey, Poo, by any chance did you see any of the others?"

"Sadly, no — you three are the first familiar faces I have seen... discounting _Pokey_ that is."

_"Pokey's_ here?"

"Yes — in fact, he's over there."

And sure enough, he was. Pokey was up against a wall, rubbing his hands together. Strangely enough, he was alone though, not a single one of his _'friends'_ with him.

Few would go near him though — Pokey was late for Halloween, but he'd still decided to invoke the spirit of it with his attire.

He was dressed a shadow of himself, a _ghost,_ if you will. His clothes and hair were a ghastly white, and his face looked much the same, making him look old and decrepit, as if at any moment, he'd simply crumble to pieces, and be blown away by the wind.

And he was certainly having fun with his ghastly appearance — he took upon sneaking up on people and scaring the everliving _shit_ out of them, sadistic as ever.

But it was strange to them all — while Pokey was still being himself — that being a sadistic ass, he was being rather tame compared to what he was _usually._ In fact, ever since he'd come back from his suspension, he seemed to have disappeared from everyone's radar, since he hadn't gone out of his way to bully anyone, least of Lucas. 

It seemed like he had changed, but the group wasn't quick to believe that — it was very much in line with Pokey's nature to lull everyone into a false sense of security, before surprising them all and striking when they least expected it. 

After all, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done _exactly_ that.

Still, they enjoyed the moment of peace they had, where they didn't have to deal with Pokey.

While looking at Pokey, Ness did see another person, who he thought looked familiar.

"Hey, is that Claus?"

"It is! But Lucas isn't with him... did he come alone?"

"Let's go and give him some company."

"Well, I'm gonna go and get some snacks. See ya."

"I think I shall join you. Goodbye to you both."

The four of them dispersed from their spot, Jeff and Poo getting some snacks, while Ness and Paula walked to Claus, who was sitting, but chuckled when he saw the two approach him.

"Well, well, well, look what the Mushroom Kingdom dragged in. Did you two take a wrong warp pipe?"

"Nice to see you as well, Claus. So did Darth Vader, Robocop and the Terminator all have a massive orgy and make you?"

"I know, I know — this is the peak of awesomeness, no need to remind me."

"So, how come you're all alone? Where's Lucas?"

"Lucas? Well, _funny_ story —"

But Claus was cut off by Lucas himself, who had come back, holding some drinks. He sat down with his brother, smiling at Ness and Paula... but they only returned his smile with looks of confusion. Ness was the first to speak, smiling back at Lucas.

"Hi... who are you?"

"Yeah... I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Lucas and Claus exchanged a glance at each other.

_"... they don't recognize me?"_

_"How?!"_

_"I guess I really did do a good job with this then..."_

_"Yeah... so good that these two don't even know who you are!"_

_"In which case, I'll just —"_

_"Improvise."_

_"What?!"_

_"Follow my lead, and improvise."_

"Yeah, I don't think you'll have met her since, well, she _is_ a year _below_ us. So then... Ness, Paula — meet my new _girlfriend_... _Lucia._ She's a freshman."

At that, all three of Ness, Paula _and_ Lucas's faces morphed into ones of pure _shock._

_"GIRLFRIEND?! What the FUCK are you doing?!"_

_"Oh, I am a genius!"_

Thankfully, Ness and Paula were too shocked to notice that the maid beside them was much the same, before they all recovered and Paula greeted her properly.

"Oh, hi, it's _lovely_ to meet you!"

"Yeah — gotta say, I love your _maid_ outfit! It's very cute."

With a lot of nervousness, Lucas switched his voice to a more high pitched one that he'd been practicing before he responded.

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you two as well! Claus has told me a lot about you both!"

"Oh? Good things, I hope?"

"Don't worry — _good_ things."

"So how did you two meet?"

"Oh, well, about two weeks ago, I saw her being bullied by some girls, so I stepped in and _heroically_ saved her!"

Paula gave the cyborg an amused look at the story, and Lucas leaned in towards her, putting one hand next to her face.

"He likes to exaggerate a _little._ But I was so grateful that I asked him if he wanted to get some coffee, and well... things just took off from there. We've been out a couple of times, so I asked if he would come to this party as my date."

_"Wait, YOU asked ME out?"_

_"Oh, let me have this one!"_

_"Fine..."_

"Aww, how _sweet!_ Claus, how come we haven't heard about her for this long?!"

"She's a _little_ shy and, well, I didn't want you all bombarding her with questions at once."

Ness looked at Claus in mock outrage.

"Oh, we would never!"

"Yeah, I've only actually told Lucas about her... sorry for keeping you all in the dark about this."

"Hey, as long as you two are happy, we are as well."

"Oh, well, I couldn't be happier!"

"Mhmm! I'm just _delighted_ to have met my _dear_ Clausy!"

It took a great deal of effort from Claus to resist the urge to stare at Lucas with all the venom he had inside him at that — their mother used to call him that when he was younger and he'd always _hated_ it, and he garnered another amused look from Paula.

_"Clausy?"_

_"Don't even think about it, Paula?"_

"So, Claus... _where_ is Lucas anyway? He was here in school earlier."

"Oh yeah, when he got back, he felt really tired and had a headache. And Mom's always been really cautious with us being ill, so she insisted that Lucas didn't go. We were gonna dress up as each other, but... couldn't do that. Luckily, I had a backup costume."

"The most _handsome_ cyborg around. Oh, yes, by the way, I got some drinks for you all! Here's your Coke, Claus and I got you two some drinks as well... I hope you'll like them. Some strawberry lemonade for you, Paula, and some orange juice for you, Ness."

"Oh, wow, that's my favorite!"

"Me too!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! How did you know what we liked?"

Lucas giggled a little at that. "Oh... it just seemed like those would be the type of drink you two would enjoy."

"Wow! Claus, that's one hell of a perspective girlfriend you've got there!”

"I know. I'm very lucky to have her."

"And I'm lucky to have him as well. Here you all go.”

As Claus and... oh, why not, I'll _indulge_ this _bizarre_ situation — as Claus and _Lucia_ passed the drinks around, she shifted a little closer to Claus, clutching onto his arm tightly, and resting her head on his shoulder.

Ness and Paula both aww'd at it, enjoying the sight of seeing another happy couple.

Claus, on the other hand...

_"Get off me."_

_"Nope."_

_"Get off me!"_

_"Nope! I'm your 'girlfriend', Clausy, and that's exactly how I'm gonna act!"_

_"Oh my God, you really are getting into this, aren't you? What the fuck have I gotten myself into..."_

_"Hey, this was your idea."_

_"I know! And I'm already regretting it... you better not do anything like try and kiss me!"_

_"Oh God, no, I'd never go that far!"_

The two couples spent some more time conversing with each other, Ness and Paula trying to find out more about Lucia — they had to be careful to make sure not to give the game away _too_ soon, but they managed. 

Paula found himself rather liking her — she seemed very friendly, just like Lucas. She even thought about suggesting to Claus that she join their little friendship circle — she seemed like she'd fit in rather well!

Eventually though, she decided to leave after seeing Ana, wanting to speak to her friend which just left Claus, Lucia and Ness.

In fact... this was the perfect opportunity for her to strike. Paula was gone, and Ness wasn't preoccupied with anything... 

Lucia rose from her place, turning to Claus.

"Well, _darling,_ I've been waiting for a dance."

Claus didn’t catch on straight away though. _"What the hell... why are you asking me, when Ness is the one you’d wa... oh, clever... I see what you're doing..."_

"Sorry, babe, I'm feeling a little tired."

Claus smiled at her, letting her take over.

"Oh... I really wanted to dance... Ness... would _you_ mind dancing with me instead?"

"Oh! Well... er... not sure if you'd _want_ me too — I'm not the _best_ dancer."

"Really? I saw you dancing with Paula, and wow... you are _good."_

"Thanks, but... would it be appropriate? I mean, I wouldn't want Claus to get pissed off or anything."

Claus interjected at this point, deciding to help Lucia out. "Nah, it's fine. I mean, it's not like you're gonna make a move or anything."

"Oh, okay... I, I just wanted to make sure."

"If you _do_ though... I _will_ fuck you up, Ness."

"Ah, ah... understood!"

"Claus! Be nice! Ness, I appreciate this — but are _you_ okay about this? I mean, I don’t wanna force you or anything.”

"Oh, nonono, I'd love to dance — I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be doing anything to your relationship!"

Lucia smiled at him. "Thank you... let’s dance!"

Ness and Lucia stood up, with Claus quickly winking at her before taking his leave. The two took one of the other's hands as you might for a slow dance, with Lucia wrapping her other hand around Ness's neck, and Ness placing his other on her shoulder.

"Um, Ness... I _think_ you need to place your hand a _little_ lower."

"Oh, sorry!"

Ness shifted his hand so it was under her shoulder. Lucia giggled a little, before smiling at Ness.

"Lower."

"Ah, I really am no good at this!"

He shifted his hand once more, so it was resting on her waist, though she was quick to notice that his hand seemed to be shaking a lot.

Lucia gently took Ness's hand, and held it up to her face, looking at Ness with a look of worry on her face. 

"There _is_ something wrong, isn't there?"

"Oh, no, no, there's nothing wrong!"

"Ness... I don't know you very well, but... I can tell when someone's feeling nervous."

"Huh... you're _just_ like Lucas... you're both really good at reading me... like a _book."_

"Let's sit down. Now tell me — what's bothering you?"

"I'm sorry, it's just... well, you're the first girl I've danced with that isn't Paula... and..."

"You feel nervous about that?"

"Yeah."

Lucia gently stroked Ness's leg, knowing that it often worked to calm his nerves, and sure enough, he started to relax a little, her touch feeling strangely familiar to him.

"Paula's very lucky, to have someone like you."

"Hm?"

"She picked someone very faithful, someone who always kept her in their minds... that's really sweet. And I don't wanna make you feel uncomfortable, or make you feel as if I'm intruding on your relationship. So... if you don't want to dance, then... I respect that. After all, it's only natural to feel that way."

"Yeah... but you know, why not? I know I only want Paula, and I'm sure you feel the same about Claus... it's just a dance, right?”

"Sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, I can't miss an opportunity to show off my _amazing_ dancing skills!"

With a laugh, Lucia responded "Ooh, confident, are we? Well, let's see if it's well placed!"

With a over the top gesture of his hand, Ness took Lucia's as well as her waist — this time without any shaking. 

Duster switched from one slow song to another — _Fallin' Love..._ it's a rather famous one. The two started to dance, holding each close and smiling a little. 

As you might have guessed, Lucia was having the time of her life, being closer to her crush than she'd _ever_ been before... she'd have to thank Claus for this. Her heart was beating in anxiety and excitement, faster than ever before — if Ness were to feel it, he'd certainly be concerned.

As for Ness... he was feeling a bit strange about this all. Now that he was actually dancing, he was able to get a closer look at her face, beautiful as it was. 

_"Beautiful? That's not right... only Paula is beautiful to me."_

But the more Ness looked at her, the more he saw that beautiful was the right word to use. Her face, her dress, her eyes... she was pretty in her own way, a way different from Paula. She was different from her... while Paula was bold and confident, Lucia was more reserved... quiet and sweet. 

Her hands... they felt softer than Paula's, and yet... familiar. It was a texture he had never felt, and yet, he could have sworn he _had..._

Without even being aware of it, Ness started to sweat a little.

Over by the side however, Claus was watching the two dance, smirking to himself, his plan having worked perfectly. While doing so, Paula had returned and she sat down, fixing her shoe. 

She noticed someone above her, and looked up, only to see _Claus_ with an outstretched hand towards her.

"Might I have this dance, _Madame?"_

Paula looked at him, and was about to refuse before she stopped herself... she may have had her history with Claus but... that was some time ago. And he was certainly a lot different now.

"No _funny_ business, okay?"

"Why, I'm _offended._ I have a girlfriend — and I'd _never_ make a move on someone else’s girl!"

She raised an eyebrow at that, which Claus saw and laughed at, getting her to crack a smile as well.

"A dance as friends, if you're willing to grant me that much."

"Then I'd love to."

She took his hand, and both of them joined the many others on the dance floor. 

As the two danced, Paula found herself wondering about Lucia — she remembered Claus's... _history,_ so to speak, and part of her was concerned for her. And while she knew Claus had changed, a part of her needed to make sure.

"Claus... is she different?"

"Is who different?"

"Lucia. Is she different... different from all the other girls you've been with? Or is she just —"

"Another one on the pile?"

"Well... I, I didn't wanna put it like _that,_ but —"

"But that's what you were thinking, right?"

Paula sighed, looking down on the ground before looking back at Claus.

"I'm sorry... I know you've changed since then..."

"But you can't forget the past, can you?"

"... Claus... what makes her different?"

"Paula... let me tell you something. Something I haven't told anyone. Something not even _she_ knows.”

“What is it?”

“I would do _anything_ for her. I would move heaven and earth for her. I would protect her from anything in the world. And if someone tried to hurt her in _any_ way... I'd mess them up."

"Why?"

"Because I love her."

Paula’s eyes widened in shock, not expecting _that._

“How... how can you say that? You've only known her for two weeks!"

"Well... who said I've only known her for two weeks?"

"What?! Then... how long _have_ you known her?”

“Try... _sixteen years."_

_"Sixteen years?! That's impossible! He's only six... wait a minute... Lucia... sixteen years... it couldn't be... oh, it... oh, that is clever..._

"Claus... is _that_..."

"Yep."

"Wearing a..."

"Yep."

"... the _fuck?!_ That's _Lucas?!"_

"Pretty interesting idea, right?"

"Yeah... certainly wasn’t expecting _that._ So... why did he dress up as a maid then?"

"He thought it'd be something unique. And I gotta admit... he cleans up rather nicely."

"You know... he actually _does_ look pretty _cute_ in that. So you guys had this all planned from the start?"

"Actually, no — you guys didn't recognize him though, so I thought we'd just roll with it and see what happened. And it was very much worth it."

Paula rolled her eyes, partly in annoyance, partly in amusement and partly because it genuinely was a very clever trick of theirs.

"You never change, do you?"

"Nope — I'm a trickster through and through. But I _am_ an excellent dancer."

"Modest."

"Am I wrong?"

"Well... I suppose so. Claus... what you said about Lucas..."

"I mean it, Paula. There's not a _thing_ in the world I _cherish_ more than him. I would do anything for him... because his life is worth more than _mine."_

"Why do you think that?"

"Haha... because he's the _superior_ brother. He's worth so much _more_ than I could _ever_ be. What can _I_ do, that he _can't?_ What am I worth, in comparison to him? _Nothing._ I'm nothing but an _asshole_ — and _you_ of _all_ people would be able to _agree_ with me on that. Sure, I _say_ I've changed... but who am _I_ to say that?"

"Claus... I _can't_ say I _agree_ with you."

"What?!"

"Let me tell you something — when I first met you and Lucas, I... I liked Lucas more. Because, well... yeah, you _were_ an asshole. And even now, I _do_ still like Lucas more... I'm sorry, but that's the truth."

"I get that. You had every reason to think that then, and now."

"But I don't. I don't have any reason to think of you in that way now. You said you've changed, but you couldn't be the judge of that. But I _can._ And I _know_ you're different now. You're not the same hot headed, cocky asshole I met about a year ago... now you're _just_ hot headed and cocky."

"And that's an improvement?"

"A _big_ one. Claus, I can stand in the same room as you, and _not_ want to punch you in the face. I _couldn't_ say that a year ago. You made mistakes, but... you've changed a lot, and now... it's honestly a surprise. And don't forget this — you are worth something, and there's a lot to you that Lucas isn't."

"Like what?"

"Well, how about your confidence? Maybe you've got a little too much of it, but it's something Lucas is lacking, and something he could benefit from. That's something you have, and he doesn't."

"Alright, that's _one_ thing. But look at the countless other things that Lucas has! I mean, I'd list them off, if there weren't so many."

"And Lucas would say the exact same for you. You're two sides of the same coin. But each side is just as important. And I think you should talk to Lucas about it, cause it sounds like it's been weighing on your mind for some time."

"I think I will... thank you, Paula."

"No problem. Hm... speaking of which, where _is_ Lucas?"

"Oh, he's actually dancing with Ness."

"Really? Where?"

"Over there, near where Duster is."

Sure enough, they were both there, looking rather engaged in their dance, particularly Lucia.

_"He seems rather into it all, doesn't he, Narrator?"_

Indeed... she seems a lot more confident than she usually is.

_"... she?"_

Oh, my bad. Eh, screw this, I'm sticking with it.

_"Haha... it is kinda unusual for her to be this confident — especially around Ness."_

Hm... she _did_ have that _punch,_ didn’t she? 

_“Yeah, what about it?”_

I'm not entirely convinced that it _wasn't_ spiked.

_"Why do you say that?"_

At one point, Lucia leaned in rather close to Ness, almost touching his face.

Do you still require an answer to that question?

_"No... listen, do you mind keeping an eye on her?"_

Not at all. Enjoy your dance, Claus.

_"Thanks!"_

Ness and Lucia were certainly both enjoying themselves — time and potentially _other_ things had emboldened Lucia, and she was feeling a lot more confident now. During one part, she even gently cupped Ness's face, subtly batting her eyelashes at him.

And while Ness would have been a little nervous at first, he found himself rather enjoying her touch... it felt both exhilarating and soothing at the same time. It all felt like an aphrodisiac — something he wanted more of, something he wanted to lose himself into. 

But he couldn't. To do so would be being unfaithful, both to Paula and to Claus. Leaning back just a little, Ness closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Lucia looked at him quizzically, wondering if she'd perhaps gone a bit too far, but Ness smiled back, reliving her a little.

Eventually, the song came to an end, and the two disengaged from one another, both of them equally impressed with the other.

"You're a good dancer, you know..."

Lucia replied back with all the confidence herself, which was hard because inside, her heart was aflutter at Ness's compliment.

"Thanks... you're pretty good yourself."

"You know... you remind me a lot of Lucas... you're both very similar to each other."

"Oh? Well, he tells me you're his best friend. From what it seems, you two seem very close."

"We are...he's my best friend as well. Honestly, my life wouldn't be half of what it was without him. He's helped me more times, and in more ways than I can count. He... he's honestly one of the best friends I could ever ask for."

"You're welcome."

"What?"

"I said, you’re welcome."

"... what do you mean?"

Lucia shook her head a bit while sighing. “Ness... you can be very dense sometimes."

"...”

Lowering her voice back to what it was normally like, Lucia spoke for the last time. "Don't you know who I am?"

And with that, Ness's eyes widened to the size of saucers, everything finally clicking in his mind.

_"... Lucas?"_

Lucas gave his girlish giggle, smiling at Ness.

"It was nice dancing with you, Ness. Thank you."

He gently hugged Ness, rubbing his hands around his back, making him blush rather heavily, before releasing his friend and walking over to where Claus was.

Needless to say, Ness... was _very_ confused. 

_"That... that was Lucas?! I... I... I can't believe it! I... I can’t believe I didn't see it! But... why would he... why would he dress up as a maid and pretend to be Claus's girlfriend? Wait, Claus must have been in on this then! Was it all just for a prank... honestly, knowing Claus, it wouldn't surprise me."_

But that wasn't all — the revelation of Lucas being the person he was dancing with had certainly messed with Ness's mind.

_"He... he honestly had me fooled there... I mean, I really should have seen through it with the names, but apart from that... it was pretty convincing._

_But... you know, Lucas doesn't make for a bad maid... he looked very cute and pretty in it all. His blonde hair, his nice dress, her long eyelashes... wait, not her, his! HIS long eyelashes... oh, this is... this is certainly something."_

Holding a hand to his head, Ness sat down on a chair, thinking some more.

It was all so strange to Ness. Lucas was his friend, his best friend — he'd said as much to him! But there was something strange about it all...

_"Okay, let's try and think things through logically, as Jeff would."_

Whatever he felt towards Lucas, was something similar — it was like what he felt when he was around Paula... and yet not at the same time. It could be just how good a friend Lucas was. They were close, very close, even by what you might expect for best friends.

Perhaps it was just that deeper level of friendship then. After all, Ness _was_ closer to Lucas then any other of his friends, both past and present. They certainly had a bond that ran rather deep, and maybe Ness had come to be used to certain elements of Lucas.

He knew Lucas was kind, gentle, sweet, fun, smart, insightful and caring. He knew Lucas was all of that. He knew all that. He was _used_ to all that.

He _wasn't_ used to the idea of Lucas being _pretty._

Ness thought to himself that perhaps it was just the situation and everything around him. 

It was a party, it was near Christmas and it was fancy dress — emotions were running high and all. And of course, he wasn't expecting Lucas to dress as a _maid_ of all things, and right now, that was obviously messing with his head. 

So, it was just a combination of all those factors that were confusing him. Yeah. That made sense.

But there was still that small part in the back of his mind that wouldn't pass this over so easily, the part that still wondered if there was something more to it all.

This entire situation, it all... it all made Ness feel confused and unsure, as if he needed to just accept this, just needed to let loose and unload, as if he wanted to —

_"JIZZ IN MY PANTS!"_

Suddenly, some more music started to play —

_"This really never happens, you can take my word, I won't apologize, that's just absurd. Mainly your fault for the way you dance and now I, jizz in my pants."_

A great number of the students started laughing loudly, knowing _exactly_ what this song was and the nature of it, rather amused by it all.

_"Don't tell your friends or I'll say you're a slut,_

_Plus it's your fault, you were rubbing my butt,_

_I'm very sensitive, some would say that's a plus, now I'll go home and change."_

However, based on the _horrified_ look on Duster's face, it wasn't exactly _supposed_ to be on tonight's selection. He frantically checked all the equipment, trying to figure out what had caused this, but to no avail.

_"I need a few things from the grocery,_

_Do things alone now mostly,_

_Left me heartbroken not lookin' for love,_

_Surprise in my eyes when I looked above."_

The two Visaras quickly noticed, and both of them rushed onto the stage to help Duster, but they couldn't figure it out either — the next song played _should_ have been something different, but somehow, _someone_ had managed to hack into the music system and change the songs, without any change being on it.

_"The checkout counter and I saw her face,_

_My heart stood still, so did time and space,_

_Never felt that I could feel real again,_

_But the look in her eyes said I need a friend."_

They tried to just shut the music off — but that wasn't an option either, as the system was currently preventing anyone from shutting off the music.

_"She turned to me, that's when she said it,_

_Looked me dead in the face, asked Cash or Credit, and I, Jizzed in my pants."_

Students were running rampant and cheering, people were knocking over tables in the frenzy, all while an increasing amount of teachers grew to change the increasingly loud and obscene song — it was pure _chaos_ and _pandemonium!_

Ahhh... Spelea would be _so_ proud of me. I suppose I _should_ stop though...

_"It's perfectly normal, nothing wrong with me,_

_But we're going to need a cleanup on aisle 3,_

_And now I'm posed in an awkward stance,_

_Because I jizzed in my pa —"_

Finally, Duster was able to shut the system off, abruptly cutting the song off, and causing the students to all stop, much to their disappointment.

Mr Visara walked and took the microphone, tapping it twice before speaking.

"Well... as I'm sure you've all figured out, we, ah... appear be experiencing some... _technical_ difficulties."

Still, everyone was nice enough to laugh in good nature.

Soon enough, Lucas and Claus found that they'd spent all the time they'd wanted to at the party, and it was getting near the curfew that Hinawa had set them, so they made their goodbyes and walked home.

"So then, _Lucia..._ did you have any success with Ness?"

"Oh... I think I've _definitely_ gotten somewhere. Should've tried this sooner!"

"Ooh, so you'll be with Ness soon."

"Well, there's still a long way to go... and I've still got to find a way to deal with Paula. But I'm getting there! I've set the idea in his head, and I'm pretty and cute!"

"Oh, _don't_ tell me you're gonna wear that dress everyday though."

"Hm... well, it's not a _bad_ look. But, I think I'll _pass."_

"Thank God... right, we're home."

The twins carefully went into their house, trying to be quiet and hopefully not wake their parents.

After entering slowly, they walked up the stairs to their room. But, just before they were about to enter, they heard a door open behind them and —

_"Lucas?!"_

As if he’d just suffered an electric shock, Lucas jumped and then turned around, seeing none other than _Hinawa,_ standing in the doorway behind them in a nightgown. She covered her mouth with one hand, and eyes that were shocked beyond belief at what her son was wearing.

Lucas froze, equally as shocked as his mother was. After what felt like an eternity, he managed to say something back.

"... hi, Mom."

She looked at her son, examining his dress and hair, before her eyes fell on the apron. She slowly took her hand off her mouth, giggling to herself in realization.

"So _that's_ where my apron went!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god... this was easily one of the most fun and difficult chapters to write. You might notice that I like to stick to a few characters within a chapter, and while I did still do that with this one, I also tried to give pretty much everyone that had appeared in this fic at least one small appearance and man... it was not easy.
> 
> Also, I do know that the first Mario Party didn't come out until 1998 and Jizz In My Pants did not come out until 2009 - all I have to say is, my fanfic, my rules, fuck off. 
> 
> Regarding costumes, I tried to make most of them be based of something in the Mother Series, but I couldn't think of suitable choices for all of them.
> 
> A list of costumes if you're curious: Ninten is a hippie from Mother 1 and Earthbound, Ana is Gabriel from the Bible, George is a mad scientist (no specific one, but it's more of a link to his scientific background in Mother 1), Maria is herself as Queen Mary, Ness and Paula are Mario and Peach (credit to singing_to_empty_caves for those two), Jeff is a Starmen Deluxe, Poo is one of the rabbits guarding Pink Cloud (credit to TokoBushyBird for this one), Lucas is Lil' Miss Marshmallow, Claus is the Masked Man, Kumatora is a Magypsy, specifically Ionia, and Pokey is himself, based on his appearance in Mother 3.
> 
> I had a lot of fun regarding some of these — particularly with Claus being the Masked Man. Makes a lot sense when you think about it, and hey, if you know me well, you know I love the Masked Man.
> 
> And of course, the decision to have Lucas dress as Lil' Miss Marshmallow... hoo boy. That's either one of the greatest things I've come up with, or one of the most cursed... I'll let you all be the judge of that. On that note, I give full credit to the name Lucia to ComradeLucia and their series of fanfics 'The Adventures of Lucia' (link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994812) - an rather unique take on Mother 3. Definitely read it if you haven't.  
> 
> 
> I wanted to try and get the Masked Man and Marshmallow into this fic somehow, but I couldn't think of a good way, so I thought I could at least give them this cameo. 
> 
> If you'd like to read a story of mine where both characters, particularly the former, have a lot more relevance, might I suggest Behind The Mask? (SHAMELESS PROMOTION).
> 
> But actually, here's a mad thing — at the time I'm writing this, Behind The Mask is at its 16th chapter and yet, this fic is longer than it, despite being only half the number of chapters! Oh boy...
> 
> Also, as of when I'm writing this, this story is also the longest Ness/Paula fic on all of AO3, a title I'm glad to have... and also a little depressed. Come on, people, we need more Ness/Paula!
> 
> No? Fine.
> 
> I suppose I could always try for longest Nesscas fic out there... which means I'll have to surpass the 330,000 word giant that is Through Thick and Thin and the 370,000 word monolith that is Count It Up...  
> 
> 
> *sigh*   
> 
> 
> You know what? Why the hell not? I'll give it a shot. 70,000 words — that's about a fifth of the way of there! That's my ridiculous, completely unattainable goal — to have the longest Nesscas fic out there, even if I can only say that it was the longest for a second.
> 
> So get ready — because I think we're in for the long haul.


	9. A Tale Of Snowballs

_Mitxuisx Sltbxo: 23_

_Satx Rf Mitxuisx: 'Zolmzwxn'._

_Zwasgxn Tayx: Is mwin qaomizluao rsx, I yxziyxy mr mod asy takx mwx Txzwa Yoagr mwam kiuun Wisaha asy autrnm yrxn mwx natx mr Zualn nmorsgxo — dxaw, nrlsyn uikx nrtx bazkhaoyn ann urgiz, yrxns'm im?_

_Wxox'n td iyxa: I mwrlgwm mwam yrisg nr tigwm yxmxo Zualn fort modisg mr kiuu im, ro mwam hwxs figwmisg im, Zualn hrluy yr uxnn mr im — nxx, is mwx roigisau mitxuisx, Zualn gxmn a grry nwrm is himw QK Mwlsyxo, zalnisg mwx Yoagr mr gxm xsoagxy asy im uanwxn rlm, mrnnisg Zualn rff mwx zuiff._

_Nr, takisg im trox yloabux hrluy txas im hrluys'm wajx bxxs an xsoagxy hwxs mwam waqqxsxy, nr im hrluys'm wajx mworhs Zualn rff, asy qxowaqn Zualn zrluy wajx mwxs nmauuxy ursg xsrlgw fro Fuism mr gxm mr wit asy makx rs mwx Yoagr._

_Oxanrs Fro Faiulox: An drl zas glxnn fort mwx fazm mwam I't hoimisg mwin, srsx rf mwrnx mwisgn waqqxsxy, asy hwxs Fuism yiy gxm mr mwx Yoagr, imn goxamxo yloabiuimd oxnlumxy is im zoiqquisg Fuism, uxajisg wit is zolmzwxn._

_Nr, rszx agais, mwx zrsyimirsn hxoxs'm txm. Mwin mitxuisx xsyxy lq trnmud mwx natx azmlauud, lsmiu mwx xsy asdhad, blm azmlauud hronx, niszx Fuism xsyxy lq bxisg qxotasxsmud isvloxy fro uifx, hwizw way zrsnxplxszxn. Is ayyimirs, Wisaha nmiuu yixy, asy Zualn nmiuu bxzatx mwx Tankxy Tas._

_Wxox'n mwx kizkxo mwrlgw — bxzalnx rf Fuism'n isvloixn, wx yiys'm xeazmud tasagx mr takx mwx zuitb lq mwx Xtqiox Qrokd Bliuyisg, txasisg wx yiys'm takx im mr mwx 7mw Sxxyux._

_Mwx innlx, in mwam is mwx roigisau mitxuisx, Fuism ismxozxqmn mhr QK Urjx ammazkn fort mwx Tankxy Tas, fro Ulzan, najisg win nrs'n uifx._

_Asy wrh yr I ksrh mwam mwrnx ammazkn hrluy wajx kiuuxy Ulzan?_

_Drl nxx, Fuism hans'm mwxox is mwin mitxuisx mr yr mwam, nr... hxuu, mwx rsud nitiuaoimd is mwin mitxuisx, in mwam rsx rf mwx mhisn nmiuu yixy is mwam bammux._

_Srh mwam I mwisk abrlm im, takisg mwx Yoagr nmorsgxo hans'm grisg mr qoxjxsm Wisaha fort ydisg, sro hrluy im wajx nmrqqxy mwx Qigtank Aotd fort blosisg mwx Nlsnwisx Froxnm yrhs... nr, mwin han azmlauud oamwxo qrismuxnn, hans'm im?_

_Rw, asy rf zrlonx, Qrkxd nmiuu tasagxy mr gxm ismr mwx ANZ, nr mwam nlzkn._

_Zwasgxn Fro Flmlox Mitxuisxn: Mwxnx qanm mitxuisxn wajx auu faiuxy fro rsx oxanrs ro asrmwxo, blm mr bx faio, I hans'm oxauud modisg, an I hans'm zrtquxmxud ahaox rf wrh auu mwin hrokxy. I nlqqrnx mwam'n srm a jxod grry xezlnx mwrlgw..._

_Nmiuu, I mwisk I'jx way xsrlgw qoazmizx. Afmxo xeqxoitxsmisg aorlsy himw 22 mitxuisxn, I mwisk I wajx a fiot goanq rf auu mwx oluxn. Srh, im'n mitx mr nmaom takisg azmlau zwasgxn mwam I zas froxnxx asy zrsmoru._

_I mwisk mwx 1990'n, nqxzifizauud 1994, hiuu bx mwx quazx I nmaom fro trnm rf td mitxuisxn — I't trox fatiuiao himw im, asy im'n hwxox I wajx mwx goxamxnm sltbxo rf qrnnibiuimixn._

_Uxm'n gxm mr hrok mwxs._

Ohh... why? _Why?!_ For fuck's sake, _why_ does Avi have to host a Christmas party?!

Seriously, _dude,_ I didn't go to the _last_ 10 million or so ones — what makes you think I'm gonna go to _this_ one?!

Why am I even surprised — he _always_ does this, because he's so annoyingly _consistent!_

But I'm not even mad at him... because I _want_ to go. I've always wanted to.

But I can't. What would I do? 

It would be so awkward with _all_ of them — especially _Spelea._

I mean, what the hell would I even _say_ to her? No, really, _genuine_ question — I know you're listening to me, so you might as well help me out here.

What do you say to someone where your last conversation with them, in person, was, firstly, over _110 million years_ ago, and two, basically consisted of you telling them, "I hate you, I hate you so much and I want you to die," over and over again?

And then you actually _do_ try and kill them, but you fail because one, you're an _idiot_ who forgot that you can't kill a _god_ and two, you forget the fact that they're _thousands_ of orders of magnitude more powerful than you, and can just bitchslap you into oblivion.

And then they bitchslap you into oblivion.

Sometimes I wonder... what was the point? The point of this unfounded revenge? I mean, actually, no, it _was_ pretty _founded,_ but... _FUCK!_

I just wish... I wish I could go back and tell myself 110 million years ago, 'calm down... it's not as bad as it seems. Talk about it. Just... fucking... TALK ABOUT IT!'

_Will you be attending? Write your answer below and send it to the address given above._

_... declined... but... please see enclosed gifts for Pluvar, Spelea, Lored and Avi._

At least... at least that's something different from what I've written the _last_ 10 million times.

Hahaha... you know, I do feel a just little bit better with that.

But, this isn't the time for sadness, is it? 

Right then, last time, the school hosted a Christmas party which all the gang attended, with many wacky costumes and wacky hijinks, including Lucas who decided to dress up as a robotic maid, and Claus, who forced me to confront some personal demons...

And through some trickery and lies, Lucas was able to find his way in the dance floor with Ness, leading the raven haired boy to make a few reevaluations about his friend.

First of all, I'm a little early, but I have the strangest feeling that this is the last time I'll see you before Christmas, so, well, Merry Christmas! And I hope you'll be spending it with others, unlike me, and like everyone else, such as our heroes.

And speaking of heroes, our story today begins on a cosy morning in Onett, with, of course, Lucas and his family.

Lucas and Claus were spending their time decorating their Christmas tree with their mother, with baubles and tinsel, Flint having gone into the attic to look for a star to finish the tree.

"Well, boys, I think we're done! All we need now is the star, which your father's looking for..."

"Found it."

And coincidentally enough, Flint was just coming downstairs, holding a box with all sorts of things in it, and picked one thing out of it — a star, which he placed on the top.

"There we go! Now it's done!"

"Woo!"

The twins scurried off to get a hot drink, for themselves and their parents, while Flint picked something else out of the box, holding it behind him. He turned to his wife, trying his best not to smile, with limited success.

"Honey, guess what else I found up there?"

"Oh?"

"Look at this."

Flint showed her what he was hiding behind his back — a brown cowboy hat of his that he hadn't worn in ages, Hinawa's eyes widened, the memories flooding back.

"Do you remember it?"

"Of course!"

Having heard the conversation, Lucas and Claus came over, mugs of hot chocolate in hand for the two of them, as well as a cup of tea for Hinawa and a cup of coffee for Flint. 

After handing them over to the thanks of their parents, they sat on the couch opposite Hinawa's armchair. "What's this about?"

"How your father and I met. Have we never told you?"

"No, I don't think you ever did."

Hinawa looked out the window, watching the snow fall with a nostalgic look on her face.

"Ahhh... I still remember it like yesterday. It was a party 20 years ago, where we first met."

"And I was wearing this hat at the time."

Claus laughed before asking, "Were you going through a phase, Dad?"

"... maybe. Either way, it was there I met your mother, and I was... _smitten."_

"So smitten that he spilled his drink all over his cousin's dress!"

"Honey, don't tell them that..."

"She was rather upset by that, you know. That dress was apparently rather expensive."

"And _that's_ the man you ended up marrying, Mom?" snickered Claus.

"Hm... it must have been the hat."

"And my rugged good looks.", replied Flint, while donning his cowboy hat, causing Hinawa to laugh a little.

"Flint, you look ridiculous."

Putting on his best cowboy accent, he replied "Well, lady, that's just how we buckaroos dress like."

Hinawa simply put a hand to her face while the boys chuckled at their dad's bad impression.

"Your accent is terrible."

Flint held his hand to his heart in mock pain. "Ah, little missy, you're hurting my feelings!"

"Well, keep going like this, and I might just have to kick you out the bunkhouse tonight."

"Into the corral with these two varmints? Oh, _surely,_ you'll take pity on me, lady."

Hinawa stood up and adjusted her husband's scarf, playfully whispering in his ear, "Only if you're good. After all... it's much more fun to have you _in_ the bunkhouse."

With a grin on his face, and an "eep!" from Hinawa, Flint grabbed her by the waist, spinning her around in the air before putting her on the ground and kissing her on the lips, making her ears and cheeks go a light pink.

Lucas looked on happily at his parents while Claus pretended to throw up. Still, both twins eventually giggled at the situation, reminding the two that their children were still watching them.

"You always _did_ have a way of sweeping me off my feet..." murmured Hinawa.

Flint smiled and tipped his hat at her. "I try, my dear."

Though the two were tempted to see where their emotions would lead them, they were aware of the twins and so both sat back down, Flint turning to them.

"Alright, boys, enough lallygagging! Besides, weren't you two gonna leave to see your friends or summat?"

"Oh yeah, Claus, we should probably get going. We said we'd meet everyone at Ness's house in half an hour."

Right, exposition time then — the group of friends had all agreed to meet up during the holidays, for a little Christmas party of their own, before the actual day in question. 

Naturally, all of them wanted to spend Christmas with their families, so they decided to have this party so they could still have the fun of the holiday with their friends, and exchange all their presents with each other.

It was agreed that they'd go to Ness's house — his parents and Tracy were both out today, making it the perfect place for them to go.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be all of them — Jeff and Poo had both gone home for the holidays while Ana was unable to attend, having also volunteered to assist the church today.

On the bright side, Kumatora of all people was coming, having been invited by Paula, and surprisingly enough, she accepted.

The twins dashed upstairs to get their presents for all their friends, before putting some warm clothing on and leaving.

Waving to their children, Hinawa turned to her husband, smiling at him.

"So... we have the bunkhouse _all_ to ourselves..."

Flint chuckled at her, closing the door. "You read my mind, my dear."

The two made their way to the north of Onett, trudging through the snow covered path.

"There's loads of snow now, isn't there?"

"Yeah... I imagine even the Sunflower Fields will be covered with it... it's a bit of a shame."

"No more sunflowers until it gets warmer then?"

"Yeah... thankfully, I got some before the snow came... needed it for the crowns."

That last part deserves some more explanation — Lucas liked to make sunflower bracelets and crowns, which he gave to people. And if you got one, you'd be rather lucky to, because Lucas only gave the bracelets to those he considered his friends.

And as for the crowns, he only gave those to people he considered _especially_ close to him... it was an honour to recieve one.

Either way, the two soon arrived, knocking on Ness's house. The door opened and standing in the doorway was none other than Ness himself, festive cheer full on his face.

"Hey, I was worried you two wouldn't show up!"

"Oh, come on, we'd never miss this!"

"Yeah, Ness, what d'ya take us for?"

"Haha, come in, come in!"

Ness had decorated his house rather heavily, even more so than Lucas and Claus had. His Christmas tree was even taller than theirs, and the entire area was covered in banners. On the table, there were some snacks — Claus noticed the pretzels and made a mad dash for them.

"Might have gone a little overboard. Who knows? So... with you two here, that makes four."

"Four? So, who else are we waiting for then?"

"Ninten hasn't gotten here yet, and neither has Kumatora. Paula got here about ten minutes ago though. I wish Ana, Jeff and Poo could have made it, but... oh well. Still, with the six of us, it'll be nice and cosy."

"Yeah! So where is Paula?"

"Oh, she's just gone upstairs."

In the midst of eating a pretzel, Claus asked Ness, "Hey, Ness, are we doing presents now or later?"

"I was thinking once everyone arrived we'd go out for a bit, then do presents when we got back?"

"Alright, so we'll just leave them here then?"

"Yeah, sure."

Lucas and Claus decided to explore the rest of Ness's house, going upstairs, only to find none other than —

"Hey, Paula!"

"Merry Christmas!"

She turned on the spot, radiant joy on her face when she saw them both. "Lucas! Claus! It's great to see you!"

She ferociously embraced the two, surprising them both at her energy.

"Wow, you and Ness both seem really full of cheer today!"

"Well hey, it _is_ Christmas! Besides, it's gonna be so much fun! We can watch movies, eat food, play ga —"

But she was cut off by a doorbell, as well some rapping at the door.

"I'm sure Ness will answer it."

They heard the door open, and Ness beginning to talk with someone there.

"Hey, good to see yo — OW MY FACE!"

"HAHAHA!" 

Lucas, Paula and Claus all heard some raucous laughter coupled with Ness's cry of pain, causing them to rush downstairs, seeing Ness wipe his snow covered face and _Ninten_ outside, holding his stomach in laughter, Claus joining in when he saw what happened, while Lucas and Paula rolled their eyes.

"HAHAHA! Merry Christmas, Ness!"

"Merry Christmas, _Ninten... glad_ to see you could make it..." Ness retorted, sarcasm seeping into his voice. He was half tempted to shut the door in his friend's face, but, it was just a joke, and besides... it _was_ Christmas.

"Sorry I'm a bit late. Had to deal with my _sisters..._ annoying little buggers."

"Oh, _tell_ me about it. Glad mine's not here though."

"Really? Lucky guy..."

"Yep. Anyway, come in!"

He opened the door wide, letting Ninten enter, who saw the other three, giving a fist bump to Claus, and a warm greeting to Lucas and Paula. Doing a quick survey, he realised that one person was missing.

"So... we're just waiting for Kumatora now, aren't we?"

"Yeah. I'm sure she'll get here."

And sure enough, a few minutes later, there was another ring of the doorbell, which Paula answered. 

Predicatably, Kumatora was at the door, and Paula was actually a little surprised that she'd come, though certainly glad.

"Kumatora, glad you made it!"

"Hey, Paula... yeah, wasn't sure if I should come, but... here I am."

Kumatora didn't get as warm a welcome as everyone else had — though Lucas was happy to see her, Ninten, Ness and Claus didn't know her very well. Still, they greeted her cordially enough.

"Hey, Kumatora, is it?"

"Yep. You're Ness, right? Nice place ya got here."

"Thanks. Spent ages getting this all ready... anyway, glad you could come."

"About that... you sure it's alright for me to be here?"

"Hey, any friend of Paula and Lucas is welcome here!"

"If you're sure..."

Now that everyone was there, they got to all talk a little, about what they've done over the holidays — Ninten had some particularly amusing tales. 

They also took the time to get to know Kumatora a bit better and make her feel welcome among them — she wouldn't admit it, mind you, but she felt less uneasy about being there after.

Eventually, they all decided to go for a walk to the forest that was north of Ness's house, on the outskirts of Onett. The forest was covered fairly heavily with snow, and the leaves had fallen off the trees quite some time ago, leaving just the branches, now laden with snow.

"How big is this forest anyway?"

"It's not too big, but certainly large enough for someone to hide in."

"Oh! We should do something! Something fun!" said Lucas.

Ninten scoffed at that, "What, like building a snowman? I think we've all become a little too old for that."

"Well, it doesn't have to be that. Could be something different." Lucas replied.

"Sleighing! We could race each other down these hills!" shouted Claus.

Paula clapped her hands mockingly at Claus. "Ah, yes, _excellent_ idea, Claus, let's go sleighing with those sleds we have! Oh, _wait_ — we don't _have_ any."

"Oof... got me there."

"Anyone else got any suggestions?" asked Kumatora.

"Hm... I've actually been thinking of my own little game. A three way version of Capture The Flag," said Ness.

"First off, aren't we a little too old to being Capture The Flag, and secondly, how exactly does a _three_ way version work?" asked Ninten.

"Okay, one, we're too old to watch Phineas and Ferb, but _five_ of us still _do..._ don't know about you, Kumatora."

"I... still do..." Kumatora replied with a bit of embarrassment.

"Huh, who'd have guessed? So, if we're not too old to watch that show, we're not too old to play Capture The Flag. And as for _how_ this works, I'll explain, as soon as we decide on teams."

Claus took a few steps towards Ninten, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You up for this, Ninten?"

"Of course! The dream team!"

Paula took a few steps towards Ness, the latter chuckling, "You don't even have to ask, Paula."

"I guess that just leaves you and me then, Lucas!"

"Nice! Let's win this!"

"Okay, so basically, there's three hills in this forest. Each team will go to one, and place a 'flag' there."

"What are we using as flags then?" 

Ninten jumped up having the answer. "Oh! We can use our scarves!"

"Scarves it is. We place one at the top of each, and then, you have to capture the other two teams' flags and bring them back to yours. However... you can't _tag_ anyone."

"What?! Then how the hell are you supposed to get your flag back?!"

"Oh, you just _take_ the flag off of them." replied Ness nonchalantly.

"... what?"

"You just pounce, and take the flag by any means necessary."

Kumatora rubbed her hands together, grinning. "Oh... I like the sound of this already!"

"Yes, but... let's try not to go _too_ overboard with the violence."

"Scared, Ness?"

"Oh? Tryin' start something, Ninten?"

Lucas put his hands between the two, separating them. "Okay, we'll have plenty of time during the game to be at each other's throats — we don't need to be at them _before."_

"Fine. Well, apart from that, there aren't really any rules — the game only ends when one team captures all the flags, and brings them back to their base _or_ when all of us agree to end it. Any questions?"

Lucas raised his hand, which made Ness laugh. "Lucas, we're not in school..."

"Oh... sorry... I was gonna ask if we can use PSI."

Ness opened his mouth, about to reply in the negative, only to stop and think about it.

"Well... we _are_ all psychics, aren't we? So... why not?"

Ninten interjected with some panic in his voice, "Wait, wait, _wait,_ so you're telling me that we're playing a game of Capture The Flag, with _three_ teams, where there is _no_ capturing of others, but apart from that, almost _no_ restrictions on what we can do to others, including the free use of _PSI,_ when some of us can create actual _fire,_ making this essentially a _war_ between six _psychic_ _teenagers?!"_

"... yes."

Lucas and Paula both put their hands to their foreheads, both of them thinking the same thought — this could _not_ end _well._

Claus and Kumatora however both rubbed their hands together, glee on their faces, simultaneously saying "Oh, I like the sound of this a lot!"

"Well, everyone understand the rules?"

There was an response in the affirmative from everyone else.

"Well, good luck to everyone then!"

"Thanks, Ness, but Ninten and me... we don't _need_ luck. The boys are in _town,_ and we're gonna take you lot _down."_

"Yeah, Claus and me, when we work together... man, you guys might as well just give up right now. Come on, hand the scarves over."

"Hate to break it to ya, Ninten, but Paula and I, we've got the power of love on our side!"

"Yep! Love conquers all, and with it, you're all gonna be put on ice."

"Sorry, you two, but the power of love is useless against _me_ — I literally use it as my power! Kumatora and I will be playing janitor — cause we're gonna mop the floor with you!"

"Yeah! We're gonna thrash the four of you so hard, that you'll shove your heads right into your asses, just to avoid seeing the decimation!"

There was a silence in the forest, save for the wind blowing through the trees, as everyone else looked at Kumatora.

"... too far?"

"Yeah." "A bit messed up." "Just a little."

"Alright, enough trash talking, let's actually get down to this. Lucas and Kumatora, you two go for the west hill, Claus and Ninten, you guys for the north, and Paula and I will go for the east. You've got ten minutes to get there and place your scarf down, and then we'll call you and the game will begin."

The three teams separated, reaching their hills within five, placing their scarves at the top. With the last five minutes, each of them discussed strategy.

Over at Claus and Ninten's area...

"So, Claus, I'm thinking, we just make a mad _dash_ for the flags. Like, we just Usain Bolt our way over there, grab the flags and then get back here."

"Take them by surprise?"

"Exactly. They'll never see it coming! We'll be in and out, and victory shall be ours."

"I like it! Keep your PSI at the ready though — I think Quick Up's gonna be useful here."

Over at Ness and Paula's end...

"Okay, so knowing Claus and Ninten, they'll probably try something along the lines of brute force, so we've gotta try and get around that."

"In that case, Paula, why don't we try and get their flag first? They'll probably leave it unguarded."

"Sounds good... but I think it should be Lucas and Kumatora that we worry about."

"How come?"

"I'm not entirely sure _what_ they'll come up with... Lucas can be very deceiving when he wants to."

"He _did_ manage to trick us _both_ into thinking he was a girl..."

"Exactly. And Kumatora's just a wild card in general. I'll be interested to see what they're gonna do..."

And over at Lucas and Kumatora's end...

"Okay... you like brute force, and I prefer a less direct approach. How exactly do we work together then?"

"Man... this is hard. We've both got rather different ideas..."

"What we need to do is combine them... find a way to use both..."

"Well, hey, depending on the situation, one of us is gonna have the better approach." 

"Yeah! Ness and Paula will probably be more careful than Claus and Ninten, so we need to match caution with caution, and that's where I'll lead." 

"But Claus and Ninten are gonna be more reckless, so that's when I can take over, bust some heads and beat some ass! Brilliant, Lucas!"

With the five minutes over, Ness and Paula each took out their phones, the former ringing Ninten, and the latter ringing Kumatora.

"Ninten, you and Claus ready?"

"Yep!"

"Hey, Kumatora. We're ready to begin."

"Let's do this then!"

"Okay, then... 5..."

"4..."

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

**"GO!"**

And with that, all the teams hung up, and started charging down their hills, into the forest below, racing to the centre.

Predictably enough, Claus and Ninten were leading, both of them charging ahead full force.

Lucas and Kumatora were next, Kumatora slightly outpacing the slower Lucas, but both were doing well.

And Ness and Paula, though the furthest from the pack weren't doing too badly either, and this worked more in line with their strategic approach.

Either way, all three teams made their way into the forest, and were heading to each other's flags.

Ness and Paula were sticking together, and had decided to got for Lucas and Kumatora's flag, as they were closest to them.

Lucas and Kumatora had decided to go for Ness and Paula's, seeing them as the bigger threat.

Claus and Ninten however, had decided to bargain the game on a rather risky proposition — by splitting up and going for _both_ flags at once, hoping to end the game as quickly as they could.

Lucas and Kumatora were making good progress through the forest, until they saw Ness and Paula. Lucas quickly pulled Kumatora behind a tree, both of them staying quiet.

_"Those two... where are they heading?"_

_"No idea... looks like they're going for our flag. They don't have it yet though..."_

_"So... how do we approach them?"_

_"Simple. We don't. No reason to, right? They don't have a flag to take, and if they see us going for theirs, things could get messy."_

_"Aww... I want things to get messy."_

_"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure you'll get your chance... games of Capture The Flag rarely don't end up devolving into complete chaos."_

After Ness and Paula were well out of sight, the two quickly got back on track, racing towards the hill. 

"Alright, we made it! Just gotta get to the top."

"Yeah, tell you what — can you guard this hill?"

"What for?"

"In case anyone tries to come and get the flag."

"Ahhh... and if they do, take em' down."

"Yep."

Lucas quickly scampered up the hill — it was tall, but he managed to get up, finding Ness's scarf at the top.

"Nice! I've got it!"

"Sorry, Lucas, but I'm gonna have to take that off you."

With a start, Lucas turned on the spot, seeing Claus walking up the other side of the hill, tossing a snowball up and catching it with the same hand.

_"Great_... should've known you'd be here."

"Yep, and I see you've got Ness's scarf. Now, do you wanna do this the easy way, or the hard way? Cause, well, one of those is better for you I think."

Lucas's answer was to simply curl both his hands up.

"Hard way? I was hoping you'd say that!"

Claus threw the snowball he was holding at Lucas, who barely managed to duck in time. It was just a distraction though, as Claus started running towards Lucas, trying to tackle him, but Lucas was able to sidestep quickly enough.

The two started circling around the centre of the hill, each of them preparing for their next move. 

Deciding to go on the offensive, Lucas quickly crouched, grabbed a lump of snow, and hurled it towards Claus. Unfortunately, Claus was just as quick as Lucas was, dodging it as well.

"Man... gotta say, you're not too bad at this." Claus said with a smirk appearing on his face.

"Same to you, Claus. I guess we're pretty evenly matched... twins and all."

"Yeah... well, sorry Lucas, but here's where I take the advantage! Offence Up Alpha!"

Orange particles swirled around Claus, before rising up on him, the orange haired twin feeling his muscles surge with energy.

He grabbed two lumps of snow, hurling both at Lucas, which flew faster than before — the PSI had given it an extra kick, and they came too fast for Lucas to dodge.

The first hit him in the stomach, while the second hit him clean across the cheek, dazing him long enough that he couldn't react to Claus rushing towards him — and with Offence Up, Claus had the necessary power to topple his brother, sending him sprawling across the ground.

"I'll be taking that. Yoink!"

Claus snatched the scarf out of Lucas's hand, waving it up in the air in victory. "Woo! Now if you don't mind, I'll be on my merry —"

"PK FREEZE!"

Suddenly, from behind, Claus was hit by a blast of snow and ice, knocking him on the ground face first.

Digging his face out of the snow, Claus turned to his aggressor, only to see none other than Kumatora, her right hand outstretched and a smug smile on her face.

"How do you like that?!"

Lucas picked himself up, smiling at her. "Ready to bust some heads?"

"Let's do it."

Claus wasn't as confident now though, glancing between the two.

_"Damn it... now both of them are here... alright, gotta play this one carefully."_

Claus threw two snowballs at Kumatora, hoping she would have to move, but the pink haired tomboy simply punched through both of them at once with fire coating her fist.

_"Great, that didn't —"_

"PK Flood Beta!"

Claus jumped in the air, narrowly avoiding the jet of water from Lucas's palms... 

"PK Freeze Beta!"

... but it left him wide open and unable to dodge Kumatora's second shot of PK Freeze, which sent him back down. 

As quickly as she made her entrance, Kumatora grabbed the scarf off of Claus, waving it to Lucas.

"Let's get outta here!"

Both of them sprinted back down the hill, putting as much distance between themselves and Claus as possible.

"Where are we going next, Kumatora?"

"We still need Claus and Ninten's flag, right? Let's get over there."

"Sounds good to me!"

Back at the top, Claus had finally gotten up, cursing his failure.

"FUCK! I lost the flag! Ohh... I need to find Ninten... and fast!"

_"Ninten? NINTEN! Can you hear me?!"_

At the same time that all that was happening, Ninten was at Lucas and Kumatora's base, having just seized their flag.

"Yes! The flag is mine! And now to make my epic esca..."

Ninten stopped himself short, hearing some footsteps behind him. "Shit, someone's coming..."

He quickly looked for a hiding place, but there weren't any nearby, apart from...

_"The trees! I'll just hide up one and wait..."_

Climbing up as fast as he could, Ninten sat on a thick branch that would be able to support him. 

Soon enough, he heard the footsteps grow louder, before he saw two people coming into view... Ness and Paula.

"Damn it, the flag's gone! Claus and Ninten must have gotten here already!"

"I guess we should head for their hill then — if we're quick enough, we can get both flags!"

_"Yes... this is perfect! Go on... leave..."_

But while Ness turned around and started to walk away, Paula stayed where she was, staring at the ground.

Ness noticed this and stopped, turning back to her. "Everything alright, Paula?"

_"Yeah... but listen... I think one of them may still be here."_

_"What?! Where?!"_

_"Look at the footprints around here."_

Ness joined Paula in looking at the ground, not quite understanding what she was getting at.

Neither did Ninten for that matter, who was confused at the couple's actions, or to be more precise, their _inaction._

_"Why aren't they going?! And why are they just staring at the ground?"_

Paula pointed to two sets of footprints behind her. _"See those footprints behind us? T_ _hose are ours."_

_"Right... and I'm guessing these must be Lucas and Kumatora's then?"_ Ness pointed to two sets of footprints pointing towards where their flag was.

_"Exactly. But that leaves the question... whose footprints are these?"_

There was a trail of footprints that were facing in the same direction these two had walked, but there were only one set...

_"Five sets of footprints — we know two of them are ours, and another two are Lucas and Kumatora's. That still leaves one set unaccounted for... which means one of Claus and Ninten is here!"_

_"Let's see where they lead then."_

Ness and Paula followed the footprints around, gradually making their way to the tree Ninten was hiding in.

And as for Ninten _himself..._

_"Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK! Of all the things to give me away, it's my fucking footprints! Okay, come on, Ninten, come on... there's always a way to get out of every situation... you've just got to find it..."_

Ness and Paula finally wound up at the base of the tree that Ninten was hiding up.

_"They're not behind it..."_

_"Which means they must be up there."_

From out of nowhere, there was a loud thud and the tree began to shake, causing Ness and Paula to look up —

"FUCK!"

"WHAT THE HELL!"

... only for them to be greeted with a cascade of _snow_ on their _heads._

While they wiped the snow off themselves, they heard something hitting the ground — Ninten had jumped out and was now getting the _fuck_ out of there.

"After him!"

Ness and Paula immediately began chase after Ninten, just a little bit behind him. 

_"We've gotta find a way to stop him!"_

_"I've got it covered!"_

"PK FIRE!" The ball of fire from Paula's hands barely missed Ninten, instead hitting the ground, melting the snow on it. 

But Ninten's relief was short lived as he realised that Paula was preparing another salvo... he needed help.

Luckily, that's when he heard Claus in his head.

_"Ninten? NINTEN! Can you hear me?!"_

_"Yes, I hear you loud and clear — you don't have to shout!"_

_"Listen, Lucas and Kumatora got Ness and Paula's flag! Please tell me you got theirs!"_

_"Yeah, but Ness and Paula saw me and now I'm being chased by two psychics, one who can shoot fire, and one who can create explosions with his mind!"_

_"Can you make it back up to our base?"_

_"Yeah, but then what? You don't have the other flag, so that doesn't do anything!"_

_"Okay... alright, you head for where I am, while I work on getting that flag."_

"Easier said than done, Claus..." he muttered under his breath.

"PSI Rockin Beta!"

_"Wait, did Ness just say PSI — OH SHIT!"_

Ninten wasn't so lucky this time — the psychedelic explosion hit him square in the chest, slowing him down...

Over at Claus's end, he was in hot pursuit of Lucas and Kumatora. Though they had a head start, a use of Quick Up had tipped the scales in the other direction, and now Claus was gaining on the two. 

However, he decided to go around them, hoping to cut them off — they had to stop eventually.

And indeed, they did. After some running, Lucas and Kumatora both slowed down.

"Phew... I... I think we've lost your brother."

"Yeah... we can... we can take it a bit slower..."

On the outskirts of the forest though, Claus was watching the two, rubbing his hands together and focusing on the two, before — 

"PK Thunder Omega!"

Lucas and Kumatora immediately looked around the forest for the voice, but it was all in vain as four bolts of lightning launched towards them, one of them missing them and hitting the snow, causing it to immediately burn up and melt.

However, the other three were more accurate — two hit Kumatora and one hit Lucas, sending them sprawling across the ground in numbness.

"Argh... it stings..."

"Ahhh... I can't... move..."

From the trees around them, Claus casually sauntered towards them, plucking the scarf back from Kumatora. 

"Argh... damn you, Claus..."

"Clever bastard..."

"Thank you, thank you... now if you don't mind, I've got a game to win!"

And so Claus left, leaving the two on the ground.

_"Ninten! I've got the flag!"_

_"Great job! I... don't."_

_"What?! How?!"_

_"Well, you see..."_

"Nice! We got the flag!"

"Now for Claus and Ninten's!"

_"They took the flag that you took?!"_

_"Hey, you try fighting off two people at once! I tell ya, Ness and Paula can be vicious when they want to! Ohh... fuck... I need to practice using Lifeup..."_

_"Grr... fine, let's stick to the plan. We know neither team took our flag, so we both get there, cut off anyone who tries to take it and then get their flags!"_

Claus kept on running, as fast as he could, until he ran into none other than Ness and Paula.

"Claus! Hey, that's our flag!"

"Well, looks like we're gonna have to fight for it."

_"Oh god, not another two on one fight... I hate two on one fights!"_

But Claus was thankfully saved when he heard another voice shout behind the two.

"Not so fast! The flags are ours!"

Ninten came into view, a little injured, but still full of energy.

Ness looked around at each of the three in turn, slowly nodding. 

"Well, looks like it's a bit more even now. Let's get the party started!"

And so they did, Ness and Ninten having their own little duel over the flag Ness had, while Claus approached Paula ready to strike in case she tried to interfere.

She put her hand on her hips, looking at Claus.

"Now, you wouldn't hurt a lady, would you, Claus?"

Claus laughed at that, a grin on his face. "Depends. When that _lady_ can create fire with her mind, there's a _little_ bit of leeway. Besides, I'd be rather sexist if I _didn't_ give it my all against one, wouldn't I?"

She laughed at that, slightly impressed. "Good answer. Let's see how you do then... PK Freeze!"

Claus quickly ducked over the snowflake, bringing his hand down along with a bolt of lightning, which struck Paula right on the head.

Over at a different part, Lucas and Kumatora both stopped dead in their tracks, having saw Claus's lightning bolt come down from the sky.

"Woah! Lucas, did you see that?"

"That lightning bolt... the only people here who can use PK Thunder are you... and Claus! He must be going up against Ness or Paula!"

"Let's get over there and get those flags!"

Lucas and Kumatora quickly found the others and hid behind some trees, bearing witness to a rather amusing sight — the four all in a massive melee for the two flags.

_"Well... I'd say this is your kind of thing... what do you think we should do?"_

_"Hm... okay, we need a surprise. On the count of three, we both use our most powerful PSI. Got it?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Okay... one... two... three..."_

"PK Fire Gamma!"

"PK Love Gamma!" 

The four lower down all immediately stopped, turning to see what was going on.

All four of them saw _burning love_ flying towards them, and simultaneously voiced the opinion in their minds.

"OH SHIT!" 

There was a small explosion as the two attacks collided with the ground, throwing the four to the ground. When the dust settled, they all looked up to see a determined Lucas and a grinning Kumatora.

"Is there room for two more?"

Lucas and Kumatora immediately went the flags, Lucas going for the one Ness and Ninten was fighting for, and Kumatora going for the one Claus and Paula were fighting for.

Two three way wars broke out, chaos and anarchy being the only uniting factor.

Claus, Paula and Kumatora were all very evenly matched — Claus and Kumatora fighting very tough and exchanging shots of PK Thunder between each other. Paula wasn't able to keep up with them as well, but made up for it with her wits.

Indeed, Claus and Kumatora both found themselves in for a _shocking_ surprise when Paula soaked them both with PK Flood, and well, you know what happens when you mix water and electricity.

Ninten, Ness and Lucas were more divided though — Ninten may have been able to run rings around the two, but Ness just wouldn't let that flag go, and Lucas couldn't do much either. 

And while Ninten did eventually managed to seize the flag, Ness wouldn't let him go so easily, which only made things harder for Lucas.

In fact, Lucas found himself struggling quite a lot, just not being cut out for this kind of thing, and found himself being knocked to the ground a few times by some of the wayward explosions from PSI Rockin.

"Aah!"

Like so. Well, Lucas, looks like you're getting your head handed to you.

_"Yeah, thanks for the observation... got any ideas?"_

Hm... well, if you want some, I'm willing to provide. You might have some more luck if you were to try... say, working with Kumatora?

_"In what way?"_

Well, have you ever thought of something a little bit more outside the box, like say... combining _PSI_ with her?

_"Combine PSI?"_

Yeah, give it a try. I'll even give you one — what happen when _water_ reaches its _freezing_ point?

_"Well... ohhh..."_

Lucas backed away from the boys, and stopped moving, focusing on what he was about to do next.

_"Kumatora?"_

Kumatora narrowly ducked a punch from Claus, almost distracted by Lucas's message.

_"Little busy now, Lucas!"_

_"I'm sorry, but I have an idea."_

She quickly backed away, just dodging a kick from Paula.

_"Well, don't keep a girl waiting!"_

_"Listen... I want you to fire off a PK Freeze at me when I give you the signal."_

_"What?! Did I hear that right?!"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Lucas... I hope you know what you're doing..."_

_"So do I..."_

Lucas focused more intensely, until he was finally ready, reaching out to Kumatora once more.

" _Kumatora? Ready?"_

_"Yep."_

_"Okay, make sure to duck... and now!"_

Kumatora jumped away from Claus and Paula, surprising the two. In mid air, she turned to face Lucas, pointing her right hand at him. 

"PK Flood Omega!"

"PK Freeze Omega!"

A waterfall burst from the sky just in front of Lucas, getting everyone to look at him upon hearing it, before the frozen winds from Kumatora slammed right into the waterfall, freezing it in mid air, creating one pristine wall of ice.

But that wasn't the end of it — with one more use of PK Love, Lucas fired a giant multi-coloured hexagon at the frozen waterfall, shattering it into countless pieces, spraying everyone else with ice, except Kumatora who had stayed close to the ground, thanks to Lucas's warning.

Hm... that's pretty clever... I'm gonna have to remember that one.

It certainly worked well, and amongst the icy shower, Kumatora took the chance to swipe the flag Claus and Paula were fighting over, as well as giving Lucas the chance to steal their flag from Ninten.

Both of them to make a quick getaway, but neither got very far...

"Got ya!"

"Oof!"

... particularly Lucas, who was quickly tackled to the ground by someone else.

Shaking his head, Lucas looked up, seeing none other than _Ness_ on top, smiling widely at him.

_"Ne... Ness?!"_

"Mind if I take this off you?" 

"Sorry, Ness, but I'm not gonna lose, not even to you!"

With a cry of energy, the two started wrestling each other, battling each other for the flag. Ness managed to overpower Lucas, pinning his arms down on the ground.

When Lucas looked up, all he could see was Ness's face staring back, a smile on it, with Ness's hands gripping on to his, and his body beneath.

Huh... I guess Lucas really is the bottom bitch.

The position the boys were in wasn't lost on Lucas, who quickly felt his heart rate in that familiar way which he both wanted to keep and stop feeling.

This close to Ness, he could smell him... the scent of the trees lingering through the snow, mixing with his deodorant, and a third scent, a scent he couldn't quite put his finger on... a scent he could only describe as being simply _Ness._

Part of Lucas wanted to bury his nose in his shirt... simply lose himself to whatever it was...

"And... got it!"

Lost in his daze, Lucas didn't put up much of a fight against Ness — and he didn't even notice that he took the flag off him.

Rolling his eyes at his brother's love-stricken ineptitude, Claus rushed Ness, trying to get the flag back.

As for Kumatora, Paula was quick to catch up with her, laughing a bit and causing her to stop. 

"Ooh, looks like it's gonna be a cat fight."

"In that case, let me warn ya, Paula... this tigeress's got _claws."_

"Well... does it _have_ to be like that?"

"What?"

"Do we have to do things in such a messy way?"

"I mean... if you want this flag, then _yeah?"_

Paula took a few steps towards Kumatora, who took her boxing stance in response. Giggling at her reflex, she took a few more steps towards her.

"You're always so tense and serious about everything, Kumatora... you should learn how to... _relax._ Just... learn how to let go of all the stress."

"Stress, schmess... that's just the way that the world works. You either learn to fight through it, or you crumble. And I'm a fighter."

"Oh, I _know._ There's not a thing in life that can't be solved by punching it over and over again, right?"

"Exactly."

"But you know, there _are_ other ways, more effective ways of dealing with your issues." 

She took a few more steps towards Kumatora, being right in front of her, the tomboy finally lowering her guard.

"More peaceful ways." 

Kumatora looked at her, not knowing what she meant, but feeling... _soothed_ by her words.

"More... _enjoyable_ ways."

Taking one last step, Paula delicately touched her chin, stroking her cheek.

"Let me _show_ you." she whispered.

"Wha..."

Paula wrapped her hand around Kumatora's neck, pulling her in close before gently pressing her lips on hers, kissing her friend deeply.

Kumatora... was a complete _mess._ She was shocked, surprised and _enjoying_ herself all at _once._

She knew Paula had rejected her _before._ She knew she had a _boyfriend._ She knew that this wasn't _right._

She didn't _care._

The lust and passion simply overwhelmed her, clouding her mind like a dense fog, overriding her logic and her inhibitions.

So dazed and lost in the kiss was she, that she didn't notice Ninten stopped dead in his path, clearly enjoying the show, she didn't notice the commotion of Ness, Lucas and Claus all pulling on one scarf in a three way tug o war, and she didn't notice Paula's hand roam down her back, and grasp her hand before something seemed to trail through her fingers, and into Paula's hand.

As suddenly as she started the kiss, Paula broke it and took a few steps back, bringing Kumatora back to reality with a start.

She wondered what... just what was that... what was that kiss about? Did Paula... not like Ness anymore? That didn't seem right... the two had always seemed happy together....

And amongst that set of confusing matters, was another — _something_ seemed to be missing from her.

That something, however, was the _scarf_ that Paula currently had in her hands.

"Wait... how did you..."

Paula giggled merrily, flirtatiously winking at Kumatora and giving her one last peck on the cheek.

"Sorry to kiss and run, _dear,_ but I've got a game to win!"

Kumatora just looked in sheer bewilderment, stuttering to herself, "Hrgh... wha... how.... I..."

She finally snapped her fingers together, muttering to herself, "Clever girl..."

Ninten tried to take the flag off Paula, but that didn't work too well for him — he just got blasted _again._ Man, he needed to learn some offensive PSI... 

He took a few steps back, looking upon the situation... and quickly realised that everything was just gonna repeat, no matter what they did...

_"Claus?"_

_"Yep?"_

_"This isn't working."_

_"Yep."_

_"We need something, something to turn the tables..."_

_"Yep."_

_"Oh, for the love of... are you incapable of saying anything else?!"_

_"... yep."_

_"GODDAMN IT!"_

_"HAHAHAHA! Okay, listen, I think I might have one idea."_

_"Oh? What is it?"_

_"You'll see... or rather you won't. Cover your eyes!"_

Shutting his eyes as quickly as he could, Ninten listened out for what Claus was going to do, but couldn't hear anything. 

What Ninten couldn't _see,_ of course, was Claus beginning to glow a little bit, which Lucas _did_ notice.

He wondered what Claus was up to... only to realise too late that Claus was about to use —

"PK FLASH!"

Suddenly, a bright, almost pale green light, burst from all sides of Claus, engulfing everyone nearby.

"OWWW!"

"MY EYES!"

"GOD!"

"ARGH!"

The rays of light reflected off the snow and ice multiple times, blinding everyone except Claus and Ninten.

While the others were on the floor, rubbing their eyes in pain, the dastardly duo swiped the flags and ran, no one being able to stop them in their pain.

When the light finally subsided and their eyes recovered, Ness and Lucas were both the first to get up, looking around for their attackers, but they were long gone.

"Damn it all to hell, they've gone!"

"And they, they, they took our... our fl, flags with them!" replied Lucas, hiccoughing a large amount.

Ness heard his friend _crying_ for some reason, immediately hugging him in concern, much to Lucas's surprise and joy... that scent was getting stronger...

"Lucas... what's wrong?"

"Oh, nnn, nothing! I, I, I just can't stop crying..."

Ness had a look at his face, seeing an uncontrolled stream of tears running down Lucas's face, staining his cheeks — one of the side effects of PK Flash.

_"Huh... you know, when Lucas cries like that, he actually looks kinda cute... wait, what? Damn it, Ness, not the time!"_

"Don't worry — I've got just the cure! PSI Healing Beta!"

The stream of tears from Lucas's eyes finally stopped, along with his sniffles. Seeing a few tears still on his face, Ness gently flicked them off, making Lucas giggle.

"Thank you, Ness..."

"You're welcome! But we've got bigger worries now! Claus and Ninten are gonna win if we don't do anything!"

"Right. Let's get the girls back first then."

Kumatora seemed to have been confused by the light, so Lucas took care of that with a gentle bop to her head. Paula wasn't so lucky — she'd been knocked unconscious by the light, though some PSI from Ness and some gentle shaking woke her up.

"Where are those bastards, I'm gonna wring em' by the neck!"

"Clever little shits..."

"Okay, okay, listen. Claus and Ninten are gonna win soon, if we don't do something! And fighting amongst ourselves isn't gonna accomplish anything! I suggest... a truce?"

"A truce? As in, we work together?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, not my kinda thing, but desperate times... I'm in," Kumatora replied, putting one hand on the middle.

"It'll be nice to take them down a peg," said Paula. "I'm in as well."

"Ness? What about you?" asked Lucas.

"I'm in. Let's get them."

"And of course, I'm in."

"Great, but... how are we gonna reach them?" asked Kumatora. "Both of the fuckers have a massive lead. How can we catch up?"

"Hm... yeah, it _does_ seem hopeless." sighted Ness.

"Nothing's hopeless, if we just look at it from a different angle! Sure, there's no way any _one_ of us could catch up to them, but if we worked _together..."_ said Lucas, trying to put a more optimistic outlook on the situation.

"Then there could be a way. And I think I have one. It's risky, and it might not work... but I think it's our only chance." said Paula.

"Let's hear it."

"Okay." Paula turned to Lucas and Kumatora looking at them. "You two did this thing, where you made this giant block of ice, right? How did you do that?"

"That was Lucas's idea... stroke of genius there..."

"Yeah, so basically, I just made some water, and Kumatora froze it solid."

_"Sorry for taking credit there, Narrator..."_

It's fine — besides, you put a rather unique spin on the idea. I must commend you for your creativity.

"Right, well... can you guys do that _again,_ but make a _bigger_ block of ice?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"What if, we used the ice to _slide_ down, and catch up with those two?"

"Hey, they could work! Lucas can make the water we need, then you and I could freeze it together, Paula!"

"Sounds good to me!"

Lucas scratched his head in deep thought, which the others all noticed.

"Something wrong, Lucas?"

"Huh? Oh, well... the thing is, I don't think I'll be able to make that much water all at once. I could probably make it in three or so goes, but then all the water would just splash on the ground."

"So we need some way to hold all the water up... how are we gonna do _that?"_

Luckily, Ness had the answer to this one. "I've got it — I can hold the water with telekinesis! You'll have to be quick, cause I won't be able to hold it up for long, but... it _should_ work."

"Sounds like a plan then. Let's do it."

Standing in a circle, Lucas started off with PK Flood, creating another waterfall which Ness quickly held in place. He quickly created another, which Ness held again. 

One final waterfall, and they all merged together, shaping itself in a rectangular manner, still suspended in the air by Ness, but he was clearly starting to grow tired from the strain on his mind.

"Alright, girls... now!"

"PK FREEZE!"

The gust of freezing winds from both of the girls hit the floating water simultaneously, freezing it solid into one block of ice, which Ness and Lucas gently lowered onto the ground.

"Yes! We did it!" Ness high fived Lucas, thrilled over the success.

"Alright, everyone get on!" shouted Kumatora.

Ness, Paula and Lucas all clambered onto the makeshift sled, each of them holding onto the sled with one hand, and another person with the other.

Kumatora grabbed onto the end of the ice, pushing it across, and with one final shove, she quickly jumped on, letting momentum take over.

The sled slid across and down slopes quickly, with each of the four using their feet to steer it towards Claus and Ninten's flag, going faster and faster... 

"OH NO!"

... until the ice sled crashed straight into a _tree,_ shattering into pieces, leaving the four on the ground. 

"Ohh... ouch... can we all agree that we're _not_ doing that again?"

"Yeah..."

"Agreed..."

"Ohhh... I was having fun..."

But still, they weren't deterred — picking themselves up (and applying a few uses of Lifeup), they ran to the hill.

"I think we're ahead of them! Their hill's just ahead, and I can't see them anywhere nearby!"

Kumatora had an idea after hearing this. "Listen, I'm gonna go straight for the hill and get their flag! You guys cut them off and take our flags back!"

She darted off up the hill, while the other three stopped, looking for a place to ambush the two.

"Do you think the three of us will be able to take them?" asked Lucas.

"Of course! We've got the numbers advantage, and the surprise factor!"

"Let's hide behind some of these trees... everyone get ready."

Claus and Ninten soon came running past this area, huffing and puffing while they did.

"We're almost there, Ninten! I can practically _taste_ the victory on my tongue, and man... it tastes _good."_

"Just a little further..."

However, out of seemingly nowhere to these two, Ness, Paula and Lucas all popped out from behind the trees, looking down on the two.

"Surprise!"

"What the _fuck?!_ How did you guys get here _before_ us?! We had like a... _three_ minute lead on you!"

Paula laughed before giving her reply. "Well, Claus... we sledded down here."

"That... that doesn't make any sense!"

"I know."

Ninten looked around, seeing all three smirking at them. "So, wait, are you three all working together now?"

"It's a temporary thing."

"Let's make this simple — give us our flags, or we'll take them from you!"

And to show they were serious, all three of them began preparing their signature PSI — the orange flames of PK Fire swirled around Paula's hand, while the purple energy of PSI Rockin glowed around Ness's body and the white light of PK Love appeared around Lucas's heart.

Claus and Ninten took two steps towards each other in fear, being back to back now, looking at each of the three psychics in turn.

"Give it up, boys — we've got the high ground!" shouted Paula.

_"Ninten... I'm not so sure we can take them on... I mean, I've been on the receiving end of all of those, and all of them hurt. Badly."_

_"No worries, Claus... these guys think they're so clever, but I've got a master plan that can't fail..."_

Ninten laughed as heartily as he could, before putting on an overly sarcastic voice. 

"Oh _no,_ Claus, it _looks_ like we're trapped! There's absolutely _nowhere_ we can go to escape!"

_"Ninten..."_

"And to think we were so close to winning! It's such a shame..."

_"Ninten... what are you doing?"_

"But, they've got the high ground _and_ they've surrounded us! I _guess_ we'll just _have_ to give up..."

_"Ninten, I swear to God, you better have a fucking plan..."_

"Because, clearly, there's absolutely _nothing_ we can do, _nothing_ that can help us in the slightest, _nothing_ we can do at _all —_ oh wait... 4TH D - SLIP!"

Realising what was going to happen, Ness, Paula and Lucas all fired off their attacks as quickly as they could, but it was too late — the vortex had already appeared and consumed both Ninten and Claus.

"Where did they go?!"

"Up there!"

On a slope higher than where the three were, another vortex appeared, spitting out the two, Ninten looking rather smug at it all, pointing at the confused trio.

"Hahaha — now _we_ have the high ground, bitches!" 

Claus grabbed some snow, making a snowball while laughing. "Looks like the ambushers just became the ambushees!"

"Ready, Claus?"

"Oh yeah!"

"Load..."

"Aim..."

"FIRE!"

And before any of the three could come up with any sort of plan, a myriad of snowballs was raining down from them above. They did their best to dodge them, and Paula was able to melt a few with PK Fire, but the boys' synergy was just too much for them.

They played off each other rather well — Ninten was firing snowballs like a madman, while Claus took some extra time to compact the snow and throw them, making them hit harder and more accurately.

It left the group with the hard choice — dodge Claus's snowballs and risk being hit by Ninten's set, or dodge Ninten's and practically guarantee that Claus's would hit them.

"Alright, Claus, we've had our fun. Let's go and win this."

They ran off, with the three in hot pursuit, but it was a hopeless battle at this point — in addition to the lead they'd gained from teleporting, both of them used Quick Up _again,_ letting them outpace the three by a long shot.

"Damn it! Man... it's all up to Kumatora now."

Ninten and Claus quickly reached the top of their hill, the former jumping in joy.

"YES! We made it! We've done it! We are the champions! WOO!"

Claus looked around, realising something, "Ninten..."

"We are unbeatable! The dream team! The unstoppable!"

"Ninten..." Claus said while tapping his back.

"No one can touch us at all!"

"NINTEN!"

"Geez, what _is_ it, Claus?"

"Have you noticed that _something_ isn't here?"

"Like what?"

"Take a look."

Ninten has a look at their hill, seeing nothing... wait... _nothing?_

"Claus... _where_ did our flag _go..."_

"SUCKERS!"

Claus and Ninten immediately turned their heads, seeing Kumatora running to the bottom of the hill, waving their flag in the air, cackling all the while.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

"GET HER!"

The two sprinted down the hill full throttle, determined to get their flag and secure victory — exactly what Kumatora hoped for.

She saw the two approach and when they got close, she _stopped,_ causing _them_ to stop as well in surprise.

"PK Ground!" 

She stomped her foot down on the ground _hard,_ setting off a tremor which knocked both of them over multiple times, preventing them from getting up, and throwing snow in the air which obscured their vision. 

When it subsided, the two, all the more annoyed at being caught like that, continued their sprint, seeing Kumatora heading towards the other three.

"I've got their flag! I've got their flag!"

All of them looked up seeing Ninten and Claus in hot pursuit, the latter with an outstretched hand pointed towards the ground, preparing to use —

"PK LOVE GAMMA!"

An explosion ensued, knocking all four of them back, and forcing Kumatora to let go of the scarf, which Claus snatched up.

"Got i — ARGH!"

But Claus' moment of victory was short lived when Lucas pounced on him, bringing him to the ground. In the midst of the scuffle, all three flags got separated on the ground.

Six pairs of eyes all stared at the three flags for a moment before...

"They're ours!" all six of them cried.

And so before me, _another_ impossibly stupid sight emerged — the sight of six teenagers all dogpiling each other for three _scarves._

It lasted for... well, _far_ too long until _all_ of them started bursting into laugher.

"HAHAHA! What are we doing?!" laughed Claus.

"Look at us! We must look ridiculous!" shouted Ninten.

"We're wrestling each other for _scarves..._ what even is this..." asked Paula, putting a hand to her head.

"See? I told you, Kumatora — _no_ game of Capture The Flag _doesn't_ devolve into complete insanity!" laughed Lucas.

"Oh, you were right... but I wasn't expecting this!" replied Kumatora, grinning all the while.

Ness stood up, brushing off the snow on him. "You know... should we just call it a draw? I mean, it _is_ Christmas — there shouldn't _be_ a winner or loser, right?"

The other five all stood up, thinking about it, before they all agreed — as Ness said, it didn't make sense for them to be divided in some way at _Christmas._

And hey, it's not like they _didn't_ have fun — even if it _did_ get a little heated at some points.

Picking up their scarves up, the six of them all started to walk back to Ness's house. When they all got back, they all had a round of hot chocolate, before they all decided to watch a movie, debating for quite a bit on which one, eventually deciding on _Home Alone._

The six friends all gathered round, sitting in the same pairs they spent the game in. On the floor, Lucas and Kumatora sat together, sharing some snacks.

On two chairs side by side, Claus and Ninten sat together, both engaged in the slap stick, spreading their laughter through the room.

And on the sofa, Ness and Paula were together, snuggled together in each other's arms, simply enjoying the warm atmosphere around them and occasionally sneaking a few kisses together.

If you were to look in through that window, you'd see one of the warmest sights in the world.

Six children, all peacefully together, completely content... all friends. Friends...

After... after the movie was over, the gang all exchanged presents with each other, all of them having got one for the other, with the exception of Lucas and Claus, who hadn't brought gifts for the other, since they were obviously spending Christmas with each other. 

There were rather touching gifts — such as Claus getting Ninten a stuffed penguin, Lucas getting Kumatora a pair of boxing gloves and Paula giving Ness the catcher's mitt he'd passed up on their date some time ago for her.

The six all spent their time just relaxing, Ness and Paula watching the snow, while Claus, Ninten and Kumatora all started a game of cards. 

And as for Lucas? He just sat there, content to watching everyone else.

Having a nice time, Lucas?

_"Yeah! It's been great, hanging out with everyone... it's the last time I'll see them before Christmas. And I'm glad everyone liked my gifts... took me a long time to come up with them."_

Yes, about that, I've been wondering... you brought five gifts to this party, right?

_"Yeah..."_

Okay, so one gift for Ninten, one gift for Ness, one gift for Paula and one gift for Kumatora... but that only makes _four_ gifts... that still leaves one gift. It can't be for Claus, because you two are spending Christmas together, so... who?

_"Well, you could say... it's for a very special person."_

Interesting...

_"Yeah. And you know, this person... they're very special to me. It's strange — I've known them for longer than anyone else in this room, except for Claus of course, and yet, I don't actually know all that much about them."_

Huh, I've never seen you meet anyone like that.

_"Really? I'm surprised, Narrator — you should know them well!"_

My memory _does_ fail me on occasion... maybe if you told me more about them, I'd figure it out?

_"Sure! If I had to describe them... I'd say that they're very smart, the smartest person I've met by a long shot. They're a little snarky, but they're good at a lot of things. They can sometimes be cold, sometimes they can be cruel, and sometimes they have a rather dark sense of humour, but beneath it all, I know they're a good person. But then again, they're not a person at all, are they?"_

Oh? Then what are they?

_"They're a god."_

... what? 

_"They're a god."_

I... I beg your pardon?

Lucas took the last gift out of his bag, placing it on the table in front of him.

It was wrapped in red and green, fairly small with a brown tag that... _what.._

A brown tag that... that had... my... _my_ name on it.

_Narrator._

_"I know I'm a bit early, but... I wanted to give you this now, since I'm sure you've got people to be with on Christmas..."_

...

...

...

_"Narrator? Are you alright?"_

Lucas, I... I don't know what to say... I'm... I'm... but... but _why?_

_"Why? I give a gift to everyone I care about for Christmas. Everyone."_

... Lucas... I... I... thank you...

_"Go on, open it! Wait... actually, can you even do that?"_

I... I can. Do you mind if I... take this?

_"Narrator, it's your present — of course you can!"_

Alright... let me just make sure no one else is looking... right.

The box disappeared from the table, appearing to have vanished before Lucas's eyes.

_"Woah... so, did you get it?"_

Yeah... I'll open it now.

Carefully unwrapping the paper, I take out what was inside the box... 

It was... it was a sunflower _crown._

_"I... I wasn't sure what to give you... after all, what do you give to someone that can have anything in the world? So... I thought... I thought a present that meant something special would be appropriate... do you like it?"_

I... Lucas, I... I _know_ what these _mean_ to you, and, and... I'm... I'm so... I don't know what to _say..._ I'm... I'm _touched..._

_"I'm glad you like it... it was hard to decide, to be honest."_

Lucas... you're too pure for this universe... far too pure... what more is there to say?

_"Well, I can think of one thing... Merry Christmas, Narrator."_

Merry Christmas, Lucas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Merry Christmas to all of you as well — I'm a little early, I know, but I imagine you all have better things to do than read fanfiction on Christmas, so, thought I'd give it to you early. But, if you don't celebrate Christmas, I wish you happy holidays all the same.
> 
> This chapter... I'm strangely reminded of writing Chapter 12 for Behind The Mask - a game in the forest and all, though the stakes are certainly a lot lower. It was much easier to write - dealing with six named characters is certainly a lot easier than fourteen Pigmasks, one Fierce Pork Trooper and a Masked Man.
> 
> Few things to address regarding PSI - first off, PK Flood. It's come up a few times, but yes, completely original PSI - thought I'd let my creative juices flow a little. Basically, it creates a burst of water that falls on enemies, and can be used by Ana and Paula (as they are offensive psychics), Lucas (water is a healing kind of element), and the Narrator (because they're the Narrator). Of those, Ana and Paula can use it to the Beta and Gamma versions respectively, while Lucas and the Narrator have the Omega version.
> 
> Other changes - Lucas can't use PK Flash and Paula can't use PK Thunder. Both of those go to Claus. On the note of Claus, he doesn't have a PSI list, but I'm giving him PSI Lifeup (to Beta) and PSI Healing (to Alpha). For offensive, he gets PK Thunder, PK Flash (lightning and instant kills are both heavily associated with the Masked Man) and PK Love (but only to Love Gamma). For assist, Offence Up, Defense Down and Quick Up (ie. the offensive assisting PSI).
> 
> There's actually a lot more changes as well to PSI in general, but I'll cover those when they become relevant. 
> 
> I have one last thing I would like to discuss, but if you're reading this in the future, then it may not matter. At the time I'm writing this, I... am going to take a break from this fic.
> 
> See, I started writing this fic, because I wanted something different and I was getting tired of writing Behind The Mask. And believe me, it was a very welcome change.
> 
> But... writing 9 chapters, which combined are longer than the entirely of Behind The Mask... yeah, I'm getting a little tired of this, and I wanna take a break from it. Don't worry — I will come back to this. I promise you that. But... I think I need to focus on other things.
> 
> And that other thing would be, Behind The Mask. I think it's less popular than this fic is, but I do want to get back to that. I have that itch to write some Masked Man and, who knows, maybe I'll even finish that after all this time. 
> 
> Or maybe I'll get bored of that, and I'll go back to A Third Of Love. Who knows? I'm very bad at this, aren't I? What I'm trying to say is, I'm going to be focusing more on Behind The Mask, and A Third Of Love is going to be on the wayside for now.
> 
> With all that being said... enjoy your holidays!


	10. A Tale Of Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day! Love blossoms in the air on this day, much to everyone's joy, including mine.

I used to _love_ this holiday — easily in my top five!

Yeah, _that's_ a shocker, isn't it — _me_ liking Valentine's Day?

But I've actually got quite a lot of memories of this day — some bad, yes, but a lot of good ones as well. And it's always interesting to watch humans on this day, if a little sad.

When I look at humans on Valentine's Day, I hear _so_ many of them talking about what they _got,_ and how little they think their loved ones think of them. They're so focused on what _they've_ done for _them._

Ah, but they don't know how much fun the giving can be as well! They don't realise the time and effort that's appreciated when put in. They don't realise the joy you'd feel by doing something special and seeing your beloved smile so bright and wide that you'd do _anything_ to see it again...

It's a real hoot among the gods as well — because literally _none_ of them have _any_ understanding of love. Well, they know what it _is,_ and they can identify it, yes... but again, none of them are capable of _feeling_ it.

By the way, there is a God of Love, and yes, even _they_ can't feel love, despite being the resident authority of it.

Believe it or not though, gods _do_ go on dates. Yeah, shocker, isn't it? You'd think they'd all have to _abstain_ it from it or something, but apparently not! 

Mind you, some gods _do_ choose to abstain from it — Lored's done so for the entirety of his life, and considering he's lived since the beginning of _time_ itself _..._ that's a pretty long time. 

Why? Well, he insists that his job is one that requires nothing but the utmost precision, which, to be fair, he's not _wrong_ — monitoring all the knowledge in the universe isn't exactly easy. However, I can't help but suspect that this is the reason why he seems to have a perpetual stick up his ass... as Spelea once put it, _'dude needs the pussy.'_

And speaking of Spelea, I know she and Pluvor are both fairly active, particularly the _latter,_ or at least they _were_ 110 million years ago... I wonder if that's changed?

That's not to say that Spelea _doesn't_ get her fair share of gods — in fact, she's had quite a few! The _issue..._ is that she's developed quite the notoriety for grievously _injuring_ those who fail to adequately _please_ her.

Yeah, the phrasing on that last part _could_ have been better, but in the context you're likely thinking of — _not entirely inaccurate._

As for Pluvar, I'd hesitate to call their dates, well... _dates?_ Like, it's more of a hangout that _might_ turn out _vaguely_ romantic by the end of it? It's very strange... but... whatever works, I suppose? 

In fact, as a dare, I went out with them once and... it actually went a lot better than I thought it would. Never would've guessed.

And then there's _Avi._ Holy _shit._

I... I don't know how the guy does it, but damn... _damn..._

So, basically... he has people _flock_ to him like a _moth_ to a _flame._

_Yeah._

Loads of people. How many, you ask? Well, I'll put it this way — Avi's younger than both Spelea and Pluvar. He's had more offers for dates than _both_ of them, _combined,_ times _five._

Ironically enough, he's actually gone on _less_ dates than both of them.

Seriously, I genuinely have no idea _how_ he does it! In fact, _he_ doesn't even know how he does it!

Literally, I asked him once, and he just said... _"I guess it's the wings?"_

So, that's a summation of the dating lives of all my _'friends',_ consisting of an _celibate,_ a _tsundere,_ a _Casanova_ and... _whatever_ the _fuck_ Pluvar is — a _friend zoner,_ there you go.

And from this, I have reached _one_ simple conclusion.

I am the _only_ normal deity there.

Yet, despite _all_ that, very few of the gods actually get _romantic_ with each other. Again, even romance requires something along the lines of an emotional attachment, and well...

It isn't unheard of, but it's rare, and even rarer is a pair of gods who would actually chose to _marry_ each other. They're all so disconnected that _very_ few seek a higher level of commitment... and even those that choose to never progress to an attachment you would call love.

Sad, isn't it, but... it's just not our way. 

Well, until _Avi_ decided to try and change that on one particular Valentine's Day.

It's a rather funny story — you see, Avi took it upon himself to spread love in the air among the gods, in honour of this day. And _how_ did he do that?

By playing _Cupid_ — both figuratively and literally. 

First off, he actually went and dressed as one — which wasn't that hard, given that he _naturally_ has angelic wings. But... he also decided to pay homage to what cupids _do._

With the help of the God of Love, he actually made _love arrows._ Well, not _actually_ — you can't engineer love, and even if you _could,_ such a thing would be _far_ beyond Avi's power, so that was out of the picture.

What he _could_ do, was make arrows that induce crippling bouts of _affection_ between two _gods._

You can therefore imagine the utter _chaos_ that ensued that day with Avi teleporting all over the place, firing arrows like a madman, hitting many of the gods with those arrows.

I must admit though, it was rather fun to see to see the taciturn and well mannered Goddess of Wisdom _drag_ Pluvar to the floor and have her way with them.

More fun was seeing the God of Comedy (yes, there's one, don't ask me why), with the Goddess of Fire — that might not seem amusing, but their personalities are _night_ and _day._

And of course, I can't forget how _I_ got dragged into all of this.

You see, Lored, Spelea and myself were all discussing how exactly we'd go about stopping Avi's mad arrow spree — you'd think it'd be easy, but Avi's _really_ good at teleporting. Seriously, it's borderline _impossible_ to catch him, because of how _fast_ he can teleport.

And then, as if on cue, Avi comes right the _fuck_ out of nowhere and shoots Lored in the arm.

So, at this point, Spelea and I are freaking the hell out, because we know what's gonna happen. 

Avi takes aim, fires an arrow at Spelea, _misses..._ and _guess_ who he hits _instead?_

_Me._

... in hindsight, it was probably for the best that he missed Spelea.

Funny thing about that situation was that I was able to _resist_ the effect of the arrows — according to Avi, I was the first and _only_ person to do so, much to his surprise... and mine.

Unfortunately, he quickly took care of that by shooting me again, and yeah, after that, resistance was futile.

I found out something I'd never wanted to find out, and will never forget to this day — that Lored was a surprisingly good kisser. Seriously... I'd say it was the _second_ best kiss I've had in my life. 

So, yeah, with all the shenanigans, I _love_ Valentine's Day. Well, _used_ to. 

Love is so strange, isn't it? It's like a drug you can't get enough. It's a feeling that can stab you a million different ways you didn't even know were possible. It's something that so warm, so warm and filling that when it's gone, there's nothing but a void left in the middle of your heart that can never be filled, no matter how hard you try...

Hahaha... I'm so _lonely..._

... enough. Let's just... let's just get on with this, shall we?

So yes, today was, of course, Valentine's Day. And as you can imagine, love was all over the air, including in school, where everyone in Onett High was looking forward to this romantic day — at least, everyone had partners anyway.

Of course, for those who didn't, it was one of two things — a chance to join those with partners, or a chance to have their hearts broken into a million pieces.

And so, our story begins on that morning with people who might potentially end up falling into the latter category — the twins, who were at home having breakfast, having some toast... and omelets.

Hinawa gave them their plates, before they dug in.

"So, boys, it's a special day today..." 

"Oh _no..."_ groaned Claus, knowing what was coming.

"Any lucky girls or boys then?"

"Mom! You ask us this every year!"

"Can't a mother be interested in her sons' love lives?"

"No." said Claus bluntly.

"Well, with _that_ attitude, it's no wonder you haven't found a nice girl yet! And I've always been looking forward to meeting my future daughter in law..."

"Assuming I'm going to _let_ you meet her."

"Well, what if _she_ wants to meet me?"

"Then I'll have to do my best to persuade her otherwise."

"Oh, Claus... it seems you've got a lot to learn."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out." she laughed.

While Claus tried to wrap his head around his mother's words, Hinawa turned to Lucas. 

"What about you, Lucas?"

"Oh... just one person, Mom."

"Well, whoever they are, they should count themselves very lucky."

But before she could continue, Flint came down the stairs, smiling at his wife, who returned it with her own.

"Happy Valentine's Day, my dear."

"Happy Valentine's Day, honey."

The two exchanged a kiss, with some mock retching from Claus. It was strange in a way for Lucas — he knew that like Claus, many of his friends were somewhat adverse to the idea of any of their parents being overly romantic with each other. 

But Lucas himself had never minded it — perhaps it was because it proved to him that his parents were both happy with each other... he'd rather them be like that than always fighting.

Claus stood up and grabbed his bag. "Alright, Lucas, let's leave the lovebirds. We've gotta get to school anyway."

"Have a good day, boys. Oh, and don't forget, we'll be out after five."

And so the two commenced their walk to school, with Lucas mostly staring at the ground, clearly deep in thought, much to Claus's dismay — he wasn't even paying attention to his jokes.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Huh? Oh... sorry... just thinking about school."

"Thinking about school? Oh no, that's the _'I'm thinking about Ness and Paula'_ look. In fact, that might even be the _'I'm thinking about Ness and Paula fucking'_ look..."

Deciding to ignore the second part entirely, Lucas responded, "Why would I be thinking about them?"

_"Duh?_ Because it's _Valentine's Day?_ And Ness and Paula are probably gonna be doing something romantic, which means that you're pretty boned? Or rather, you're _not."_

"Alright, fine, you got me. I was thinking about them.

"Well, hey, don't be so glum — make a move on Ness!"

"I _would..._ but I can't! Paula's gonna be with him all day! They're gonna be stuck together all day like a fly to a jar of honey..."

"How do you know that?"

"Timetables."

"Oh my Narrator, you're literally _stalking_ them..."

Lucas winced at the implications of that. "Well... yeah..."

"You're like the jealous ex... except you're not even an ex."

"Okay, can we _not_ do this today?"

"Alright, alright... just messing with you."

Stopping in his tracks, Lucas stomped on the ground in frustration. "I don't get it! I'm _blonde,_ I'm _clever_ and I'm _cute,_ aren't I?"

"Well, seeing as you're having to ask me that, I'd say _no?"_

Lucas gave Claus a dirty look before continuing. "I mean, what does _Paula_ have that I _don't?"_

Claus put a hand on his chin, pretending to be in deep thought, before giving his answer. _"Well_... a pair of tits, a pussy and _Ness?"_ Claus burst into laughter at his own joke, while Lucas sighed, approached him and _punched_ him in the stomach.

He held his stomach in pain, giving some brief groans.

"No _smart_ answers, Claus!"

"Ohhh... when did you become able to punch so _hard..."_

"Well, I _have_ been boxing with Kumatora."

"Yeah, and you've gotten a lot more feisty now..."

Lucas pressed a hand to his brother's stomach, before the pain went away with a use of Lifeup. He sighed to himself before slowly starting to walk again.

"I'm sorry, Claus... I'm just... _frustrated,_ you know? I'll have to watch Ness and Paula all day... I'm so jealous."

"Hey, don't worry about it! In fact, I planned ahead for this possibility and I'm on the case!"

"Oh _no,_ what are you planning?"

"Lots of things! But I guarantee you that they'll all be good for you!"

"Claus, seriously, what the hell are you up to?"

"Just wait and see..."

Lucas was tempted to inquire more, but decided to leave it, knowing that if his brother wanted to keep something a secret, it would stay that way.

"So, you giving any cards out then?"

"Just the one."

"For Ness?"

"Yeah... I spent a lot of time on it... I hope he likes it."

"Ooh, gonna confess your _love_ for him?"

"Well... I can't say it's from me... cause then Paula would freak out. But... maybe Ness will figure it out!"

"Oh, you're playing the risky game there, Lucas... I approve!"

"Of _course_ you would... you've got some cards there as well."

Indeed, he did — three to be precise, including one particularly fancy card with black and green stripes.

"So, who are they for?"

"Just a few girls around there. With any luck, I might just steal their hearts!"

As you imagine, everyone in school was focused on the romance that this day encompassed — all the Music and History students certainly saw the romance in the two Visaras for instance.

Meanwhile, Mr Oranges spent the majority of his chemistry lessons boasting about a date he was happening that day, much to the dismay of _his_ students.

Spoiler alert: he doesn't actually have a date at _all._

Anyway, during a break, Lucas made his way to Ness's locker, slipping a card into it.

_"Phew... that's done. I hope he likes it..."_

I'm sure he will, Lucas. You spent quite a lot of time on that card. The question is, will he know it's from _you?_

_"I'm not sure... Ness can be pretty dense. But then again, maybe I'm not sending enough signals."_

See, this is one issue I have with romance — why does it all have to be one giant _mind_ game? Why do people have to bother with this shit, instead of just going _'hey, I think you're cute, you wanna get a coffee?'_

_"In my defence, Narrator, if I were to say that to Ness, it would cause many problems with Paula."_

Fine, in your situation, I'll give you that.

_"And there's still the whole possibility of rejection, which hurts. Yeah, people say you've gotta take a risk, but... it's just not that easy."_

... in truth, I _do_ see that. I mean, _I've_ experienced rejection first hand, and... well, it's not very fun. I'd much rather shut myself off so no one can hurt me... actually, wait, that's _exactly_ what I do.

But still, playing shy never got me anywhere, and I don't think it'll get you anywhere either. My point is, sometimes risks _are_ necessary to get that special someone.

_"You had someone, didn't you, Narrator?"_

I did.

_"And did you have to take a risk to get them?"_

... I _did._

_"What were they like?"_

What were they _like?_

They... I don't know. How, how... how _would_ I describe them? They were... everything you could ever ask for. They were the living manifestation of perfection — well, to _me_ at least. I'm aware that no one's perfect... but they were perfect enough for _me._

I remember romance was... something _neither_ of us were particularly good at... I must say, I envy your parents in that respect — they seem to have fine tuned it to an art.

But for us? Romance was always awkward, messy and never smooth, though I'd like to think the two of us improved with age. Still, we made our own efforts. I remember one particular habit of theirs they developed — they liked to surprise attack me with kisses. Unfortunately for me, they was rather good with stealth, so they often did manage to get the jump on me.

In fact... it was many, _many_ years ago, but I remember on one Valentine's Day... I'm not sure why I remember this one in particularly, but it always stood out to me. 

_"Did you do something really special?"_

That's the irony of it — we didn't do _anything_ special at all. All we did was go on a walk, marathon a bunch of romantic films together, and make some red velvet cake — they thought it'd be romantic, since it's red and all, the colour of love. It was on that day I discovered my love for the cake in question.

But that was all. Nothing special at all, just those things... _well,_ those things and... _other_ activities. And yet... I can honestly say it was one of the best Valentine's Days I've had.

_"Aww! That sounds lovely!"_

Indeed, they were... certainly quite a lot to me. 

_"Narrator, did you... did you love them?"_

... we've gone over this one before.

I'm a _god,_ Lucas. I _can't_ love. I'm not _supposed_ to love.

_"That doesn't answer my question. Sure, you're not supposed to, and sure, you shouldn't be able to... but_ **_did_ ** _you? Did you love them?"_

...

_"... Narrator?"_

... no, Lucas... I did _not._ They meant a great deal to me, yes, but in the end, they were like everyone else I have ever met in my life. A pawn for me to be entertained by, and for me to discard once I was bored of them, and sadly for them, that day _did_ arrive.

The only significance they ever had was that they were a pawn that I was somewhat fond of. But a pawn is still a pawn, and when I had enough of them, I threw them away... though that may have been unwise of me. Either way, it doesn't matter, not to you, not to them, and most _certainly_ not to _me._

_"... I don't think you're telling the truth."_

Excuse me?

_"The way you talked about this person before... I don't know who they are, or anything about them, but the way you talk about them... that's not the way someone talks about a pawn."_

Oh? You've made one critical error there, Lucas — you're comparing yourself to _me._

_"Exactly. I'm a human... but you're a god. And that's why it makes even less sense. A pawn would mean even less to a god than it does for a human, wouldn't it? A god wouldn't hold a pawn in the same manner you just did. After all, why would a god regret throwing a pawn away? They wouldn't... unless, of course, they were never one to begin with."_

Hm... I must admit, Lucas — I thought I knew everything about you, but evidently there's more to you that I have yet to see. A reservoir of courage that you've only begun to tap into. 

To tell a deity straight to their face that they're lying and then challenge them _further..._ how _bold_ of you.

So permit me to be as bold in return and give you some advice.

_"Alright..."_

Stop. Right. There.

_"... if that's what you want. But I just have one last question for you. And you don't have to answer it."_

...

_"Are Claus and I dispensable to you? Are we just 'pawns' to you as well?"_

Without another word, he walked to his next class.

... no, Lucas... you're not.... you never were.

The day went on... and eventually lunch came around.

Lucas made his way to the cafeteria, and spotted Kumatora at one table — the tomboy had actually started to join the group at lunch ever since the party they had at Christmas. She was still a little bit unfamiliar with most of them, but she had grown to be more comfortable with them all, thanks to Lucas and Paula.

Right now though, she was writing something. She stopped, bashed her fist and cursed under her breath, before scratching it out.

Curious, Lucas decided to sit with her.

"You're gonna make a hole in the table if you keep going like that."

"Good. At least then I'd have done _something."_ she replied, not looking up.

"What are you doing anyway?" He leaned over to take a look.

"Nothing!"

Kumatora quickly reached for her stuff and tried to pull them away from Lucas's reach, but Lucas was quicker and grabbed it first.

She put her hands to her face, waiting for Lucas's reaction.

"Kumatora... this is so sweet!"

She looked up at him, seeing a smile on his face, in fact, more than that — he was _awwing_. 

"Huh?"

"I never knew you could write something like this!"

Lucas looked down at the paper once more, looking at what she'd written. It was a _love letter_ of sorts, which Kumatora had evidently spent quite a lot of time writing — the numerous scratches and crosses were proof to that.

"Yeah... I've been working on it for the past few days... but I can never seem to find the right words. You know, writing lovey dovey... not exactly my kinda thing. I'm crap at it... I guess you'd be pretty good at this though."

"I think this is really good! I'm honestly surprised that this all came out of you, but it's still good!"

"What's really good?"

Lucas and Kumatora both looked to the side, seeing Paula standing there with her own lunch.

"Nothing! Nothing's really good!" shouted Kumatora.

Paula turned to Lucas, looking at him inquisitively, obviously not believing Kumatora's words at face value.

"Someone's got a crush!" said Lucas in a singsong voice.

"Oh, you _bastard,_ don't do this to me..."

Paula's eyes widened to the size of saucepans, realising what was going on. "Kumatora's got a crush?!"

"No!" "Yes!" replied both of them in unison.

"And she even wrote this!" 

"Hey, give me that!"

Kumatora tried to grab her letter, but once again, Lucas was quicker and handed it off to Paula, who took at a step back out of her reach.

Paula quickly read through it, while Kumatora started to groan, resting her head on the table.

"Awww! Kumatora, this is wonderful! It could use a little work, but it's good!"

"Give me that..." She grumbled, snatching her paper back and wrapping her arms around it so neither of them could take it again.

Lucas and Paula both giggled at her, exchanging a look between themselves.

"But you know, there's one thing that I noticed that was missing. A name." said Paula.

"Oh yeah..." realised Lucas.

_"Sooo..._ who's the lucky girl?" 

"Oh, there ain't no way in _hell_ I'm telling you guys that."

"Please?" Paula put both her hands together, as if she were begging.

"Nope."

"Please, Kumatora? Please?" She threw a pout in for good measure.

"Girl, that may work on your boyfriend, but it ain't gonna work on me." Despite that, Kumatora did look away from Paula, which told her that it _was_ having _some_ effect.

"Lucas, lend me a hand!"

"Wait, what are you —"

But Kumatora had her question answered by what she saw and heard next — Paula and Lucas _both_ begging her.

She tried to look away, but whenever she did, she always ended up looking at one of them. 

Eventually, she put a hand on each of their faces and gently bopped them against each other.

Rubbing the sides of their heads in slight pain, Lucas and Paula decided to stop.

"Alright, Paula... looks like we're gonna need a different plan."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Oh _no,_ what are you two planning _now..."_

"Logical _deduction."_ said Lucas.

"Ooh! I like the sound of that!"

"I _don't."_

"Alright, Kumatora, let's do 20 Questions with your crush."

"Hell no."

"Aw, you're no fun... alright then, we'll just do it the old fashioned way. We'll take all the people that Kumatora could possibly be writing a love letter for, and systematically eliminate them one by one."

"Well, we can eliminate all the boys, obviously." said Paula with a giggle. "Unless that's changed, Kumatora?"

"No." She replied, glaring venomously at Paula.

"Just checking." she replied, putting her hands in the air.

"Okay, well, it makes the most sense that it would be someone in her year... so the seniors."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But we shouldn't rule out the possibility that it's someone younger than her. After all, she _did_ ask me out." 

"Please don't..." she groaned.

"Yes, my _esteemed_ colleague, we should remember that." said Lucas. "I've always wanted to say that..."

"Hm... what if it was someone that she shared a lot of classes with?"

"Yeah, that makes sense! Okay... we just need to know what those are."

"She takes History, of course, along with Literature... and Art."

"So who would be in the vast majority of those classes?"

"Hello? Are you listening to me?!"

Ignoring her, Paula continued. "Hm... I don't know. See, there are a lot of girls who do that set of classes. We need something... something that helps us narrow the odds."

"What about her type? We should think about what kind of girls would Kumatora be attracted to."

"That's a good idea! She might be looking for people like her — you know, that _manly_ type." 

"Seriously, I'm _right_ here, you know!" she shouted, waving to them both.

"But then again, she may want someone different. Opposites attract and all."

"In that case, we're looking for someone in her classes, who's kind and sweet..."

"So, someone like you then, Paula."

"Aww, thank you, Lucas!" she said, smiling at him.

"You're welcome! But... who fits that..."

"Hm... damn, I'm stuck."

And so was Lucas. He didn't know the seniors all that well, except for Poo. If they had a list of them all, maybe he could figure it out, but as it was...

It was at that point that Lucas remembered something... something small, but maybe... maybe that was it.

_"Wait a second... wait... oh my God! That girl!"_

"I've got it! I think I've got it!"

Paula and Kumatora's eyes both snapped to Lucas, one looking at him in excitement, and the other in fear.

"You're bluffing! There's no way you've got it!" challenged Kumatora.

"Oh? Then tell me I'm wrong — at the Christmas party, when everyone was in costume, there was a certain girl you were making eyes at."

Kumatora's face morphed into panic, realising that Lucas _did_ indeed have it.

"Really?! Who was it?!"

"I don't know... but I _do_ remember what she looked like. She was a brunette, wearing a nurse's outfit."

Paula put her hand to her head, starting to think, before the mental lightbulb flicked on.

"Hey, I saw that girl as well! In fact... that's who you were looking at! You were acting kinda shifty and I asked what you were looking at... it wasn't nothing, was it?!"

Kumatora's cheeks went a rather pale pink, giving the tomboy an unusual amount of feminine grace... and also giving Lucas and Paula the final piece of evidence they needed.

"She's blushing! She's blushing! We've got it, haven't we?" shouted Paula, pointing her finger at her.

"Admit it, Kumatora! We've got you hook, line and sinker!"

"... fine... you got me." she sighed.

Lucas and Paula high fived in victory, before eagerly turning back to Kumatora and bombarding her with questions.

"What's her name?"

"What's she like?"

"When did this crush start?"

"Is she in the same year as you?"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Kumatora raised both her hands, stopping them. "Slow down!"

Lucas and Paula looked a little sheepish at that.

"Sorry..."

"We're just really eager."

"Alright... okay. Her name is Tessie, and yes, she's in the same year as me. She's in my History and Literature classes all year, but I've only really known her for the past four months or so... never been good at making friends."

"What does she want to do?"

"She's always wanted to be a nurse, and I think she'd be good at it."

"Really? What's she like then?"

"She's... well, she's really pretty, but she's also really smart. She's like you guys, you know, she's always worried she's not learned enough, even when she's the smartest around. But she's also really kind as well - you won't find a single person she won't try and help. She's just... amazing..."

Kumatora's voice trailed off, and she looked to the ceiling wistfully, a small smile on her face. Eventually, she looked back down, only to see Lucas and Paula both smirking at her once again.

Inwardly, she groaned, realising she was going to have to deal with a _lot_ more of this now that the two biggest romantics she knew were both aware of her secret.

"So, you're writing a love letter? It's nice, but it's certainly not your kind of thing." 

"Oh yeah — fuck, this entire _day's_ not my thing. Honestly, I hate it... seeing couples acting all lovey dovey, holding hands, _kissing_ each other... no offence to you, Paula."

"None taken — I get what you're saying. This day isn't exactly the most kind to those who aren't with people..."

_"Yeah... you can say that again..."_ thought Lucas. "But why a letter?"

"Well... she's always had a thing for literature. We've studied literature, poems and plays... she's always been really interested in it, even though she wants to become a nurse. So I thought... why don't I write something? I dunno, I guess that logic's pretty dumb though..."

"No, no, not at all!"

"I think it's a great idea!"

Kumatora relaxed a little, glad to have gotten the support of her friends before she continued. "Hey, thanks... it's just, well... I'm not good with stuff like this, and this letter's... it's _crap."_

"Hey, don't look down on yourself like that! You've made a good start."

"Yeah! And we can help you!"

"You'd really do that?"

"Of course we would! Right, Lucas?"

"Yep! Let's see where you could change or add things."

So they went through for the next ten minutes, trying to improve it, looking over each word she'd written and making improvements to it.

When they finished, Kumatora wrote the letter again neatly, and read through it once more, before placing it down with a sigh of relief.

"Guys, thank you so much for this. Seriously, I really appreciate it!" A wide smile broke out on her face, one that Paula was quick to notice and point out.

"You should smile more often, Kumatora! It looks good on you!"

At that, Kumatora returned to hearing her usual scowl. 

_"And_ you ruined it, Paula." said Lucas.

Kumatora raised a finger, wagging it at the two.

"But I swear, if you two tell anyone about this, you're both in for a world of _pain."_ she said in mock threat.

"Don't worry — we won't let anyone else know that you have a soft heart." said Lucas.

"Gotta maintain your appearance and all, right?" said Paula.

"Yeah. Yeah! My appearance is important and all." Kumatora sat upright, making herself look more impressive. Or at least, that was the intention — in reality, it just caused Lucas and Paula to laugh at her.

She went back to her slouch, putting her letter in an envelope, mumbling to herself. "But you know, of all the people who could end up finding out about this... I'm glad it was was you two..."

"Sorry, what was that?" asked Paula, a hand to her ear.

"Nothing." But the looks on both her friends' faces told Kumatora that they had heard her... and she didn't care a bit.

As Kumatora sealed the envelope, Paula remembered that she never put her name on the letter. "Kumatora, how come you didn't put your name at the end?" 

"Well, why would I?" asked Kumatora, scoffing a little.

"Duh? So she knows it's from _you?"_ responded Paula, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Yeah, that's exactly why I'm not putting it."

"... you're gonna have to explain that one to me."

"Look, Paula, what if she doesn't like me in that way? You know, we get on pretty well and I don't wanna wreck that. Especially since I have classes with her... that'd just make things awkward."

"Sometimes you've just gotta take a chance. Isn't that what you did with me?"

"Yeah, and remind me — how did that one turn out?"

"... _well..."_

"Exactly. And I'm glad that happened, you know. It was a learning experience — it taught me that in the world of romance, you've gotta assume everyone's straight until proven otherwise. I don't wanna screw this up... and besides, I've got a reputation to keep! I can't afford to let slip any weaknesses!"

"Do you think love is a weakness?" Kumatora turned to Lucas, who had been silent for a while, but had finally spoken.

"Because if that's what you think..." 

A white hexagon appeared in Lucas's hand.

"You couldn't be more wrong." 

The hexagon disappeared, leaving both Paula and Kumatora stunned by his display.

"Alright, I stand corrected. But... I don't know... I mean, for all I know, she could be dating someone else at the moment. That would just make things really messy."

_"Oh, I can definitely understand that one."_ thought Lucas.

"I guess you do have a point." Paula said dejectedly.

"Yeah. So, I'm not gonna put my name down."

"Hm... fair enough. I mean, I've done the exact same thing myself with my Valentine's..." mused Lucas.

Lucas looked up, only to see both Paula and Kumatora staring at him.

"... I said that last part out loud, didn't I?"

Kumatora just silently nodded, while Paula looked ready to _jump_ Lucas with her questions — something which he noticed.

"Before you start, Paula, I'll say this — you will _never_ guess who it is."

"Really? I'll _never_ guess it?"

"Yep. In fact, I'll even give you five guesses."

And ironically enough, Lucas could feel confident in his challenge. To Paula, his crush would be the one person she'd _never_ suspect, just because of what it'd mean to her. And although she had a token effort at trying to guess it (alone, since Kumatora had no interest in participating), naturally, she failed.

"Don't think this is over, Lucas! One day, I'm gonna get it out of you!"

_"If all this goes how I want it to, then you'll find out alright..."_

Lucas felt a... twinge of guilt at the implications of that, but... it had to be done, didn't it? But it was hard, hard to go against someone he cared about so much...

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Paula calling him.

"Lucas? Are you alright?"

"Yeah... I'm fine."

"You don't look it... feeling lovesick?"

_"Oh, you have no idea, Paula..."_

He grimly chuckled a bit. "I guess you could say that."

"Well, listen, I may not know who you're into, but just remember that they're the lucky one here — because they've caught your heart. And if you ever need a hand, Kumatora and I are more than happy to help."

"Well... _happy's_ an nice way of putting it..." grumbled Kumatora.

Paula stared at Kumatora, giving her a _'not now'_ look.

"Hah, well... romance isn't my specialty, but if for some insane reason you decide I'd be helpful, then hey — let me know. Maybe I can suggest places for dates."

"Where would those be — in boxing rings?"

"Now you're talkin'!"

"Yes, well, _normal_ girls generally don't like that kind of thing, Kumatora." said Paula, with a frown.

"And I'm _not_ a girl?" replied Kumatora with indignation.

"Emphasis on the _normal_ part."

Kumatora huffed at that, much to Lucas's amusement.

"Well, I might take your offer up in the future," though Lucas was sure he wouldn't — simply because he _couldn't._

Thankfully, the conversation was quickly stopped by the approach of some of their friends — Ninten, Ness and Claus.

As Paula saw her boyfriend approach, she got up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Do we get a kiss as well?" asked Claus.

With a roll of her eyes, Paula gave her reply. "And happy Valentine's Day to you, Claus. And you too, Ninten."

"Thanks."

Pretty soon, Ana joined them all, followed by Jeff and Poo.

"So, anyone get any Valentine's cards?" asked Ninten.

There was a general response in the negative from most of them — except for Ana, Ness and Paula.

Ness and Paula looked at each other in surprise, and they weren't the only ones — pretty much everyone else was surprised the two had received cards from others, given how well known their relationship was in school.

"Ness! Is there something you're not telling me?" 

"Hey, I could say the same about you!"

"I would not worry about it too much. If I had to guess, I would say those cards are likely from people jealous of your relationship." said Poo.

Which made a lot of sense, actually. Ness and Paula's relationship was well known, particularly amongst the sophomores — Ness was captain of their baseball team and Paula was pretty well known for the study sessions, making them individually stand out.

So, as you can imagine, together, the two formed a relationship that _many_ were jealous of — particularly because of how stable the two were, and if you don't believe me, then just ask Lucas and Claus. 

Either way, Poo's comment seemed to quell any doubts the two had.

"What about you, Ana? You got something, didn't you?" asked Ninten.

"Oh... it was just one thing... not much."

"To be fair, that's one more thing then... what, _six_ of us here?" said Lucas.

"Who was it from?" Paula asked.

"I haven't actually opened it yet... actually, I could open it now."

"Ooh, go on!"

Ana reached into her bag, pulling a _present_ out, raising everyone's eyebrows.

"A _present?_ Wow, I've only gotten cards." said Paula, with mild shock.

"Same." said Ness, equally as surprised.

"Someone's evidently got _quite_ the crush on you, Ana." 

Claus immediately took a swig of water after saying that — it was all he could do to stop himself from bursting into laughter.

Ana unwrapped the present, seeing a box of chocolates, and a card on it. She read through the card, frowning when she got to the bottom.

"Hm... it doesn't say who it's from..."

Jeff had a closer look at them, recognising the brand. "You know, these chocolates are pretty pricey... whoever got this certainly made the effort." 

_"Or has a dad that's really rich... right, Ninten?"_

_"Well... it helps in times like this."_

"Yeah... oh wait... these chocolates have _nuts_ in them..."

"Are you allergic to them?" asked Ninten, panicking for a second.

"No, but I'm not really all that fond of them... oh Lord, _pistachios?_ Hate those... they're not too kind on my tongue. Would anyone else like them?" 

Ninten's face was crestfallen at that, though no one but Claus noticed since they were all focused on Ana.

_"Son of a bitch..."_

_"AHAHAHA! Oh my God... HAHAHA! Ohh... better luck next time, Ninten!"_

Next up was Ness, who had a few cards to open — most were just generic Valentine's cards from some of the girls in their year... except for the _last_ one.

"Woah... it's a poem!"

"A _poem?_ Wow, _someone's_ quite the romantic!" said Claus, again, trying not to laugh.

Paula wasn't exactly too happy about this either, trying not to let the discomfort show on her face.

"Go on, read it out."

Taking a deep breath, Ness began to read the poem.

_What must I do, to steal what I want?_

_The finest treasures, the most priceless jewels,_

_None of those mean anything to me,_

_Not for the thing I want._

_For what I seek is what I can't get,_

_And though I tried, and tried, to take it from you,_

_I could never take it, because it wasn't there._

_Because you gave your heart to another, and I was too late._

_You gave your heart away, and now it's unreachable._

_Kept under lock and key, where no one can reach it._

_She keeps an iron grip on your heart, where no one may ever touch it._

_No matter how hard they try._

_The finest treasures, the most priceless jewels,_

_The locks they had could never compare to the one on yours._

_But they were warm, tender and loving, all that you could ask for._

_What would it be like to have all that?_

_As time grew, the locks only grew stronger._

_And though I tried, and I tried, to break my way through,_

_All my efforts were wrought with failure._

_Because you gave your heart to another, and I was too late._

_Yet your heart is taken and I look on,_

_The love I sought now forever gone,_

_And I'm forced to wonder,_

_All the things I could have were I just earlier._

_I stare outside this prison,_

_To wonder what your smile would do to my eyes,_

_To wonder what your lips would feel on mine,_

_To wonder what my love would mean to your heart._

_And so I stand here, watching the life I could have had drift by._

_Watching all the things that could have been mine._

_But all that is lost to me,_

_Because you gave your heart to another, and I was too late._

There was some silence after that among them all, each of them absorbing those words.

"Well... it was certainly well written," said Jeff.

"It was rather... profound." said Poo.

"Who was it written by?" asked Ana.

"Let's see..." Ness examined the card once again, but much to his disappointment, he didn't find a name. "Aw, man! The best Valentine's card I've got, and it's the only one that doesn't have a name!"

"What's _that_ supposed to be mean?" asked Paula crossly.

"Well, you've gotta admit — it was a pretty good poem."

But that was evidently the wrong thing to say, and the ensuing argument between the two lasted for sometime, before Claus interjected with a whip sound, earning him a glare from Ness.

"Seriously, it's just a card. You don't need to _cut_ each other up over it." said Claus.

"Yeah..."

"He's right."

"So, Paula, you got some cards as well, right?" asked Jeff."

"Yep!"

"How many?"

"Well..."

And as a response, she reached into her bag and grabbed a mound of Valentine's cards, dumping them on the table, much to everyone's shock. 

"Jesus... you got a lot, didn't you?"

"Someone's popular..."

Paula couldn't quite resist the urge to smirk, particularly at her boyfriend's shocked face, his jaw dropping in envy.

"Come on, let's open them!" 

And so, everyone, save for Ness and Claus, started helping Paula work through the mound of cards. Predictably enough, most of them were from various boys, much to Ness's dismay.

Paula noticed his gloom, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hey... no matter how many cards I get, my heart belongs only to you."

"Really?"

"Of course! All these cards... they're nice and all, but they don't mean anything to me. Only you do."

"Thanks... you got loads of cards though."

"Hey, you're welcome to join in!"

And so Ness did, teaching for a card near him. He opened the envelope and opened it, finding a particularly fancy card with black and green stripes. He opened it —

"OH GOD! WHAT THE HELL!"

... only to be greeted with a burst of _chilli powder_ , which was sent into the air from the gust caused by him opening the card, going straight into his _eyes._

"NESS! Are you alright?!" Paula immediately took the card away, preventing any more of the powder from going into his eyes.

"Oww... they feel like they're burning up..."

And they _were_ — when Ness opened his eyes, they were _bloodshot,_ getting a few gasps from the group.

"Oh dear LORD!"

"Fuck!"

"You better go to the nurse's office!"

"I'll take you, Ness! Let's go!"

Paula helped him to stand up, taking his hand and guiding him out of the cafeteria, her boyfriend coughing and trying not to touch his eyes.

Some of the students looked at the two in confusion, wondering why they were in the position they were in — in particular, Pokey had seen the entire thing and was cackling to himself.

"What was that?!"

Poo took the card by one of its corner, holding it at arm's length and slowly opened it. 

"There's nothing written. Someone sent this as a _prank..._ I'm going to get rid of this." Poo grabbed the card, carefully closed it, and put it in a bin.

"Some prank... Ness could be seriously hurt!" said Lucas.

"Who'd wanna do such a thing anyway? Who here really hates Ness?" asked Kumatora.

Everyone but her all looked down at the table, having one person in their mind.

"... is there something you all know that I don't?" she asked.

"Pokey..." spoke Ninten quietly.

"He's always hated Ness — this is _exactly_ the kind of thing he'd do." replied Lucas.

"Bastard... I'm gonna take _his_ eyes out." said Claus.

"I don't think it's him though." said Jeff.

"What?" said Ana. "He's the prime suspect."

"Ah, but you've made one false assumption in all that — you've assumed that Ness was the intended recipient of that card." said Jeff.

"Hm?"

"Think about it. Ness may have been the one to _open_ that card... but _Paula_ was the one to _receive_ it. Whoever sent that card meant for _her_ to open it."

"What does it matter? Someone still got hurt, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose it doesn't really matter much right now, but I'm just saying our culprit isn't someone who has something against Ness... it's someone who has something against Paula."

"That could still be Pokey. I mean, he pretty much hates everyone here."

"Yeah, especially after that one Friday..." 

Lucas remembered the fight that transpired a few months ago... Pokey was still reeling from Paula's humiliation of him. Perhaps this was his payback.

"Besides, he's probably sick and twisted enough to decide to hurt Paula, to hurt Ness." said Ninten.

Probably? More like definitely...

"That is _true_ but... I dunno, it just doesn't _seem_ like Pokey. I mean, you'd think he'd leave his name, right? He likes to be known for this sort of thing."

That one that gave the group pause for thought. Jeff had a very good point — rarely did Pokey ever care about repercussions. He _wanted_ people to know who was responsible for their pain, and _not_ leaving a name, or writing some insulting speech in a card... that was unlike him.

Poo, always the voice of reason, broke the silence.

"Either way, we have no proof that it was Pokey. It could just be someone really jealous of Ness and Paula's relationship, and given how many cards each of them have received, I think the list of suspects is rather large. I suggest we all just pray that Ness is fine, and go to our lessons."

Though everyone was still bitter over the situation, they all conceded that Poo was right, and soon they all left for their lessons.

Lucas had an agriculture class, which passed along smoothly enough, though he couldn't help but think about Ness. He was concerned for him — chilli powder was nasty stuff.

His last lesson of the day was Physics, which he usually shared with Jeff and Ness, but the latter wasn't there at the lesson, something which Jeff had also noticed and was concerned over.

Their lesson was some recap — momentum, maybe? But he wasn't concentrating much on the lesson — he was still thinking about lunch.

Who gave Paula that card?

It seemed like Pokey, and Lucas would be more than happy to accept that... but there was a part of his mind that nagged at him, that knew something didn't add up. If it was Pokey, he'd have made sure that they all knew. There's be no room for doubt at all... and yet there was loads here. 

So Lucas was left to think... who else out there had some reason to hate Paula, an opportunity to do this and a history for pr... 

_"No..."_

Lucas nearly threw up on the spot right then and there when the bulb clicked.

_"No... no... no, no, no, no... please... please don't tell me! I..."_

But it all made sense. A reason to hate Paula. An opportunity to do this. A history for pranks. And the most decisive piece of evidence... that _card._

_That's_ what was nagging at Lucas's mind. The card. Because Lucas had seen it before lunch today. He'd seen that card this morning...

_In Claus's hands._

When class finished, Lucas raced out as quickly as he could, finding Claus outside school.

"Hey, you're here. Alright, let's go." said Claus.

"Fine." He said quickly.

"Something wrong?"

"No."

"... alright."

The two walked around the building in silence, eventually turning a corner and seeing... Paula.

She was sitting on a bench, her face down and all alone.

"God... lunch was horrible. I feel so sorry for Paula." said Claus.

That was the breaking point for Lucas. He grabbed Claus and pulled him behind a corner. 

"Lucas, what are you doing?"

"Claus." His voice was ice cold.

"Woah, what is it?"

"I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer it honestly, because depending on your answer, I _may_ or may _not_ _punch_ you in the _face."_

"Okay..." Claus... was actually kinda scared now.

"Did you send that card to Paula?" 

"What?" Internal panic.

"Did you send that card, the one with the _chilli powder,_ the one that _blinded_ Ness, to Paula?"

"Me?! Where the hell is this coming from?" 

"Don't even _think_ about it, Claus! Did you send that card to Paula or _not?!"_

Claus's first instinct was, of course, to lie. Lie all the way. 

But one look at the glare Lucas was fixing him with told him there was _no_ chance of that working. 

"... yes..." he stammered out.

For a moment, there was silence. The kind of silence that lasts for an eternal second, the kind that makes you wonder how it will be broken... and then...

Claus... couldn't quite register what happened... one moment, he was staring at Lucas, wondering why he hadn't reacted to anything he said.

The next moment, there was only _pain._

And when he looked down, he saw Lucas's _fist_ in his stomach.

"You _idiot."_

Claus nearly _buckled_ when he felt the next punch — while the last one was to wake him up, this one... this one was to _hurt._

"What the _fuck_ were you _thinking?"_

Another punch.

"You could have gotten someone hurt! You _did_ get someone hurt!"

Punch.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?!"

"Listen, Lucas, I —"

"No! None of your excuses! Claus, there's a line between harmless fun and serious danger and you've gone _way_ past it! Why? Just... WHY?!"

"It was..."

Punch.

"This is because of Paula, isn't it?! You're still fixated on her! I... I thought you'd moved on from all that. But... I guess not. You're still the same, condescending, arrogant, _spiteful_ —"

But Lucas was cut of by Claus, who put a hand on his chest, and _forced_ him up against the wall.

In just one moment, all of Lucas's anger turned to _fear._ He looked into Claus's eyes and saw nothing pain, sorrow... and anger.

"I did it all for _you!"_ he shouted with an anguished cry.

"... you did it... for _me?"_

"I... I..." Claus's hands quivered.

With a horrified start, Claus realised exactly what he was _doing._ He... he was hurting _Lucas._

The person who he _swore_ he'd never hurt, the person who was worth so much more than him, the person who he'd give his _life_ to in a _heartbeat..._ and he was _hurting_ them.

He released Lucas in an instant, looking at his hands in horror and breathing heavily... is... is this what he'd become?

"Claus... what do you mean?"

"I... I... I didn't mean for Ness to open that card. I meant for _Paula_ to."

"Obvious enough. But why on Earth would _I_ want _that_ to happen to Paula?"

"Look what happened to Ness — he's gone, right? Sent home probably. So imagine what would have happened if _Paula_ was the one to open that card, like I intended. _She'd_ be the one clutching her eyes."

"Yeah? And _what?"_

"So... Ness would be where Paula is right now. Sad and lonely on Valentine's Day, and with Paula out of the picture... well, that's your chance."

"Well, _congratulations,_ Claus. You _fucked_ up. Not only did you destroy any chance I had, you also ruined Paula's day. Get out of my sight." 

Claus opened his mouth to say something in his defence... but he closed it, realising that there was nothing more he could do. 

He turned and slowly walked away, leaving Lucas alone.

Lucas sat down on the ground and buried his hands in his face, wondering what he should do.

He stood up, and took a peek behind the wall, seeing a sight that nearly broke him.

Of course, it was Paula, sitting on a bench, but she was a lot worse than she was before. Though doing her best to hide it, she had a tissue to her face, tears running down it and smudging the make up she'd put on for the day.

She was _crying._

It was the end of the day, and everyone was gone, the few people still wandering not paying any mind to her, all ignoring her.

It would have been easier, and perhaps smarter for him to just ignore her too, and follow Claus back home. Claus's plan may have failed... but it _had_ still done something.

It had driven a wedge between Ness and Paula on the most romantic day of the year, one that would surely impact their relationship. Something devastating in the short term, with possible long term effects as well.

But... he couldn't. He couldn't turn away from a friend in need... a close friend at that. Jealousy, envy, and his love for Ness... none of that mattered at all to Lucas. 

Because she needed someone, and he was there.

Lucas walked towards her and sat on the same bench she was on, the teary eyed psychic not realising that he was there, until she felt something warm hold her hand.

She turned in half shock to see Lucas sitting beside her, with a tissue in his hand, and a look of concern on his face. 

She took the tissue and dabbed at her eyes, a moment of silence passing between the two, before Lucas spoke up.

"How are you feeling?"

"... like complete shit."

"What happened?"

Amongst her sniffs, she gave a reply. "We went to the nurse's office and... he sent Ness home. Said he needed to stay home for the rest of the week... so..."

Lucas realised what that meant... their date. "Paula... I'm so sorry..." he said, embracing her. She clutched onto Lucas tightly.

"Listen, I... I guess it doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry for what happened today."

"... 's not your fault."

Inwardly, Lucas knew that strictly speaking that wasn't true, but thought better than to correct Paula right now.

"Hey... I know you'd rather be with Ness right now, but why don't we go inside... it's pretty cold out here, and I think you could use a drink."

"A drink? You're not gonna give me alcohol, are you... maybe I could use some now though..."

"Course not."

"Sure... beats being outside here anyway... where did you have in mind?"

"Well, there's a good coffee shop nearby. Why don't we go there?"

"Okay..." 

With a dab at her eyes, Paula stood up, walking side by side with Lucas.

The shop in question wasn't too far from the school — it was a common haunt for the students.

Onett Hometown Cafe was certainly a rather cosy building, and the pair of the blonde psychics entered the building, taking a seat at a table next to a window. 

Lucas got the drinks — a cappuccino for Paula and a mocha for himself, drumming his fingers on the counter while he waited. 

While he did, Paula looked around the coffee shop, sadly sighing to herself when she saw the other customers. As you can imagine, there were many couples, some of them from school, all engaging in romantic activities, such as kissing each other across the table.

She looked almost ready to cry again, something Lucas noticed as he was heading back. He quickly hurried back to her and sat down, trying to take her attention away from that.

"Here you go."

"A cappuccino... my favourite, thank you. How did you guess?"

"Ah well... I didn't. You've told it was your favourite before, you know."

"Really? I'm touched that you'd remember something as minor as that..." Paula's voice trailed away before she took a sip of her coffee and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry... I... I don't know what I'm even doing anymore today." she said.

"Don't keep it bottled up then. It's no good that way."

"It's been a disaster..."

"Because of the card?"

"It's ruined our day!" she cried in a strained voice. "It's ruined my day... and it was going so well. I had everything planned out..."

"You and Ness had a date planned today, didn't you?"

"Yeah... it was my idea as well. Ness took me out last year, so I thought this year I could do the same... until now."

"Where were you planning to go?"

"Have you ever been to Peaceful Rest Valley?"

"Peaceful Rest Valley? That's... that's between Twoson and Peaceful Rest Village, isn't it?"

"Yeah, and I thought the two of us could go for a walk there... it's a beautiful place in the winter, and it would have been so romantic..."

It would have, and that's why it made Lucas's heart squirm, the thought of Ness being happy with her. Still, he forced a smile on his face before he responded. "That sounds lovely... Ness really is lucky to have someone like you." 

"Thanks, but... it doesn't mean much now. All because of that... _fucking_ card." She gripped her mug harder, to the point where Lucas feared she might break it. "I... I see why Kumatora's as violent as she is now. Cause when shit like this happens... all I feel like doing is beating the shit out of whoever did this. And I swear to God, if I ever find out who sent that card, they will _pay."_

Lucas inwardly gulped, nervous as to what that would mean, but letting her continue.

"I... I... I'm sorry, Lucas. I'm just talking a lot..."

"It's alright, I don't mind. Talk as much as you want. Tell me everything that's on your mind."

"I... Lucas, do people hate me that much? Do you think they hate me that much?"

"No! Of course they don't!"

"But they do! I mean... I remember what Poo said at lunch today... he said that the cards probably came from people jealous of us. And I've gotten Ness hurt because of that!"

"Paula, don't blame yourself for this. It wasn't your fault."

"But it is! I mean, that card was for me, and if I had opened that card, Ness wouldn't be home right now!"

"Paula. You couldn't have seen this happening, not unless you can see the future and you can't. There was nothing you could do. And if you had opened that card, you'd be home right now. Do you think Ness would want that?"

"... no..."

"Exactly."

"But... even still, maybe our relationship's harming others. The jealousy... maybe high school relationships just aren't meant to last. How many of them do? Not many at all. And the jealousy only hurts those who watch is, doesn't it? And it's gotten both of us hurt."

Lucas... couldn't help but agree. Because... well, it _was_. It was harming him. The jealousy he felt for Paula, and the affection he felt for Ness... it was eating him whole, bit by bit... and what would be the cost of it? His friendships with both of them.

"I... I care for Ness too much to see anything be done to him."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying... I love Ness."

Lucas's eyes widened in shock, fear, and heartbreak. He was silent, so Paula continued.

"Maybe I'm too young to understand it, and maybe I can't truly say I do, but, right now... I think... I think I love Ness. And I love him too much for him to be hurt by our relationship. So maybe... maybe it's best if we just go back to being friends."

That... was a bombshell and a half for Lucas. Paula... was considering breaking _up_ with _Ness?_

Half of him was jumping in glee... this... this was exactly what he wanted! For these two to break up, and it would even be under friendly circumstances! It was a dream come true!

But the other half... it sank into a pit of despair. Because... he was sad for her.

Lucas thought about it all and... well, why _did_ he want to keep going forward? Because he loved Ness, or at least because he _thought_ he did. Like Paula, half of him knew he was too young to know what love felt like, yet the other half insisted that this was it. So he kept going, because he wanted more of that feeling, because he thought, if things were different, he would have a chance.

But it wasn't. Ness was with Paula, and though Lucas could say he loved him more than her, deep down in his heart, he knew Paula cared for him in equal measure. It was just in a different way.

He had to change the situation... change _her_ relationship with Ness.

But to do that, he'd have to sabotage it... and he didn't _want_ to. But that's exactly what he'd _have_ to do. And Claus... Claus understood that. He understood that he would have to change one of their feelings for the other, before he had a chance. That's why he did what he did.

And... he's succeeded. Paula was vulnerable, distraught, and right now, questioning her _very_ relationship with _Ness._

It was simple, wasn't it? All Lucas had to do was give that final push. Say... _'maybe you're right',_ and Paula, with that final affirmation, would have done it. She would break up with Ness, and all of Lucas's problems would be solved.

Ness and Paula would still be friends, and Lucas would still be friends with Paula. And then, he'd be able to redouble his efforts onto Ness, and... well, he'd have Ness, wouldn't he? All the things he wanted to, all his unspoken desires... all of those could finally become reality.

And all he had to do was give Paula one little push. It wouldn't even be _lying._ It would just be reaffirming what she already thought. 

So why did the thought of it hurt Lucas so much? Why did it make him feel like the _scum_ of the earth?

Because he _would_ be the scum of the earth. To take advantage of not a rival, not an enemy, but a _friend,_ to lie and take advantage of their situation, when they were at their most vulnerable, even if she'd never find out his motivation... it would have been the most despicable thing Lucas could have done.

And to even consider it, Lucas was filled with nothing but contempt and shame at himself.

But why? It was only... logical. To take advantage of people, to get something you wanted... that was the _logical_ thing to do. There was something Lucas wanted, and this... _this_ was the easiest way to get it. To get Ness's heart.

Logic said one thing... yet the heart said another. But in the end... Lucas knew which one won out.

"Paula... I think I know what your problem is."

"Really?"

"You're too _selfless."_

"What?"

"You're too selfless. You care about _everyone_ else around you... except _yourself."_

"What do you mean?"

"I want you to answer this question, as selfishly as possible, without thinking about anyone else in the world except _yourself_ — do _you_ want to be with Ness?"

"Of course!"

"There you go."

"But —"

"No buts! That's your answer. You still want to be with Ness, and I'd bet all the money in the world that Ness still wants to be with you. No one else matters."

"But —"

"What did I _just_ say, Paula?"

"Let me finish, Lucas."

"Fine."

"Is it worth being together, if there's so much jealousy? That poem... whoever wrote it put their heart and soul into it and... well, whoever they are, I think they've proven my point."

It was very hard for Lucas not to wince at that, cursing himself mentally... why didn't he just write something normal? 

He thought long and hard about what he would say before he finally replied.

"Sure... people might be jealous of that. But so what? So what if people are jealous of you? You should proud of that!"

"What?"

"Think about all those cards you got! All from boys who were jealous of the fact that Ness had _you._ Heck, _I'm_ one of those people jealous of your relationship!"

"You... you _are?"_

"Yeah! Because when I look at you two, I see a happy couple who are inseparable, who are perfect for each other! You and Ness... you two were made for each other, and do you know why people are jealous of you? It's because there's no drama between you two at all. You're a perfectly happy couple."

"Well, I wouldn't say _perfectly_ happy... we _have_ had a few disagreements."

"But the two of you have managed to look past those things, and rise above them, haven't you? That's the mark of a good relationship, isn't it? It's not the relationship that never _has_ any fights, it's the one that always manages to resolve them."

"That does make sense..."

"And that's what you two have done. You've been together for over a year, and you said it yourself — that's a long time for high school. Don't let the jealousy deter you — that's what people want."

"Then how should I look it?"

"Well... as confirmation. It tells you that you're in a stable relationship, one that will last, so as long the two of you keep going the way you are. These people... they want the jealousy to get to you."

"I... I guess I just never really looked at it like that. But... I don't want to hurt the people close to me. I... I hope no one close to me is hurt."

_"Well... it's a little late for that, isn't it... and I don't even know why I'm doing this. But... for Paula's sake, not for mine."_

"Oh God, I... I'm sorry, Lucas, I'm just... I'm just spouting nonsense here, and I'm sure you've got better things to do today than listen to me go on about how my day's been ruined and all, like being with someone else right now."

With sarcasm, Lucas replied, "Oh yes, like going on _all_ those dates I've been asked on?"

Paula lowered her cup upon hearing that. "I'm so sorry... I... I wasn't thinking."

"Paula... stop apologising. You don't need to be sorry that I don't have a date today — _I'm_ not."

"Still... surely you've got better things to do than be here with me when I'm an emotional wreck?"

"Being there for a friend when they're sad on Valentine's Day? I'd be disappointed if I had better things to do."

"Lucas... what would I do without you? I wouldn't even be with Ness if it weren't for you, would I?"

_"Please don't remind me..."_

"I... I owe you a lot. You're kind, sweet, sensitive, smart... any boy or girl in the world would be lucky to have you," she said, placing a hand on Lucas's.

"Well... I don't want just _any_ person in the world." 

"You have someone in mind, don't you? At lunch... you said you had a Valentine. Is it that person?"

"It is..."

"Hm... I know I said I'd get it out of you one day, but if you don't feel comfortable telling me, then that's fine. I just... I just hope you get them. Because you of all people deserve someone."

"Yeah, but... what if I can't?"

"Hm?"

"What if, for example, they're already with someone else? And what if they're happy?"

"Are they?"

"I... they might be."

"Hm... I'm not sure. I guess you'd just have to hope that they break up, or try and move on... even though it wouldn't be easy."

_"And yet, here I am, trying to prevent that break up from happening..."_

"Right..."

"Lucas... are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sure? Because you don't look too good..."

"I'm alright... besides, we're here to talk about you. How are you feeling now?"

Paula finished off her coffee, smiling for the first time since Lucas had seen her this afternoon.

"Honestly? _Much_ better."

"I'm glad to hear that!" he replied, smiling in return.

Their collective happiness was almost infectious, the two laughing a little.

"Ohhh... I suppose I've been a bit of a drama queen, haven't I?" Paula said, laughing at herself.

"Maybe a little. But hey, at least you're better now!"

"Yeah. I still wonder who sent that card though... I'm thinking Pokey, personally. I mean, who _else_ has a reason to do something this harsh?"

"... well... I guess you've got a point."

"Still, we don't have any proof it's him... damn it."

"Maybe you should try not to think about it. At least, not for now."

"Yeah... it's getting kind of dark anyway. I think we should both probably be going hone."

"You're right."

And after Lucas finished off his coffee, the two left the shop, greeted with the dark and cold weather outside, both shivering a little, their faces flushed red.

They walked until they reached the intersection between the path to Lucas's house, and the path to Twoson.

"Paula... you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine."

She hugged Lucas, getting a small 'oh!' in surprise from him.

"Lucas... thank you for everything today. Really. I'm... I'm lucky to have a friend as caring as you.” she whispered.

"It... it's no problem... it's what anyone would do."

"Not anyone. Just you." 

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she walked away into the darkness — and now Lucas was sure the red in his face wasn't just because of the cold now.

Lucas walked back to his home, deep in thought, not even realising he had one hand on his face where Paula kissed him.

The web of friendships only grew more and more fragile as time went on. Ness... Paula... both of them had so much significance in his life. But as time went on, the web of friendship spiraled more and more, each thread becoming more and more entangled with each other.

It would only take one loose thread, before the whole thing came apart. One loose thread until hearts were broken, and friendships were destroyed. One loose thread, and things would never be the same again.

So... when would that happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! 10 chapters! It's been a while since I've got a chapter out for this, hasn't it? But I've actually been writing this one on the side while doing Behind The Mask... interesting way of doing it. I think A Third Of Love will be a monthly update from now onwards.
> 
> Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day! And so a Valentine's Day chapter to go along with it, though perhaps lacking in the romance department, compared to what you might usually expect from a story on this day.
> 
> Either way, 'twas a fun one — I think my favourite part of it was the bit with Lucas, Paula and Kumatora.
> 
> Regarding that, and specifically in regards to Tessie... you might be wondering where on Earth I'm going with that. Well, we'll see — I wanted to ship Kumatora with somebody, and this was a ship I found that existed fairly recently. 
> 
> I couldn't think of any other suitable candidates for Kumatora, so I decided to throw a rare pair in here — if you've read Behind The Mask, you should know I love to throw in the occasional rare pair.
> 
> Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and have a nice Valentine's Day!


End file.
